


Come Hell Or High Waters, I'll Stay By Your Side

by FictionalDragonMother



Series: Rough & Fluff AU [1]
Category: Trolls (2016), Trolls World Tour (2020)
Genre: AU TIME, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, Country Trolls, Courting Rituals, Courtship, Disability, Disabled Character, Epic Bromance, F/M, Hard Rock Trolls, Healthy Relationships, Kinda dissapointed by World Tour tbh, King Branch woop woop, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Not entiry branch centric tho, OCs - Freeform, OCs everywhere, Pop Trolls, Romance, Scars, So get ready for me to say FUCK YOU to canon, Techno Trolls, VERY Branch centric, and not forgiving a douche bag who tried to sell out his entire tribe just to save his own skin, baby trolls, everything's much darker here, jk theres only a few, lord help me i'm hyperfixiating again, not a creek friendly fic, prepare for blood, seriously she's really gonna let people have it in this fic, slightly feral branch, slightly feral poppy, this boy gonna WORK for his redemption arc, though not entirely, trollstice taken seriously, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:34:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 52,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23372503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionalDragonMother/pseuds/FictionalDragonMother
Summary: Poppy doesn't understand Branch.She knows that, despite his gruff, aggressive demeanor, he cares about everyone in the village. Yet, he chooses to live on the very outskirts and never comes to any of her parties! She just can't understand his paranoia. After all, no bergen is going to find them, right?...Right?
Relationships: Branch & Cooper, Branch & Guy Diamond, Branch & Hickory, Branch & King Trollex, Branch/Poppy (Trolls), Hickory/King Trollex
Series: Rough & Fluff AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681045
Comments: 220
Kudos: 358
Collections: Best Broppy





	1. Escape

Dark clouds brewed in the dull olive sky, bubbling and churning as a sort of horrible rumble began to build on the ground below. Many voices began to chant as they migrated towards a single location, a great tree surrounded by an enormous steel cage. No movement could be seen from within the great gray bars, but the knowledge of life existing in that singular space was what was drawing the crowd in. They growled, all of their voices making an attempt to harmonize as they repeated a mantra comprised of one word.

"Trolls! Trolls! Trolls! Trolls!" The bergens' chanted, their eyes gleaming with hunger as they stood outside of the Troll Tree.

Today was a day that every bergen young or old looked forward to, the one day where they could taste happiness. Today was the 200th anniversary of Trollstice, and this one was going to be special, as it was the young prince Gristle's first Trollstice. The crowd watched as the Royal Chef's assistants lit the ceremonial barbecues, cheers of joy ringing out as the flames roared skyward. A caped figure stood proudly in front of the Troll Tree gate, a shining scepter clasped in her gnarled fist. She bared her yellowed teeth at the crowd in a frightful smile, her eyes flashing with a sort of hunger. Whether it was for trolls or for power, no one could quite say. 

"This is a very special Trollstice, as there is one amongst us who has never tasted a troll." The Head Chef addressed the crowd, her voice carrying out across the town square.  
Behind her, the slightest flicker of movement might have been seen if all eyes hadn’t been focused on Prince Gristle and Chef. A flash of unusually dark fur darted out of a pink, flower-like pod, a small object nestled into it’s chest.

Branch skidded to a stop, the young trolling’s precious passenger clinging tightly to his oddly fluffy ruff. Princess Poppy’s bright pink fur stuck out like a sore thumb against his dull grays and blacks, but she was far safer with him than any other troll, at least until they got under ground. He glanced down at the wide-eyed trolling in his arms.

“Don’t worry princess, I’ve got you.” He reassured her, causing the baby to smile.

His ears flicked towards the front gate of the enormous cage he, along with all other trolls, had been trapped in their whole lives, and paled when he saw two bergens enter. Luckily, his dark colours allowed them to blend into the shadows, and Branch took advantage of that fact as he sprinted towards the tunnel entrance. As soon as his paws hit the cool dirt, he let out a sigh of relief, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he navigated the dark passage way. While other trolls relied on torchlight to see in the dark, his eyes adjusted to the inky blackness naturally. Still, he felt a sense of safety roll over him as he spotted a light just up ahead. 

“I’ve got Poppy!” He called out, running up to a silvery Glitter Troll. The adult, who he recognized to be Glitz Diamond, had his son, Guy, with him, a tiny little thing that could have only hatched a few months ago, and the nervous look on his face melted into one of relief as Branch and Poppy appeared.

“Oh thank the stars! Here, let me take the princess, we need to move quickly. Can you keep up, or do you want me to carry you as well?” Glitz asked, gently taking Poppy from Branch.

“I can keep up. Lets go.” Branch said, already starting to run. 

Glitz nodded and, after making sure the two trollings in his arms were secure, ran after Branch, quickly passing him, but making sure not to run too far, lest the younger male be left behind. They managed to catch up to some of the other trolls without incident, and Glitz passed Poppy on so that she could reach her father. For a moment, Branch thought that their escape somehow went unnoticed. Unfortunately, he was about to be shown just how wrong that line of thinking was.

Just as they entered the halfway point in the tunnels, an enormous shovel blade crashed down and caused part of the tunnel to collapse. The nearby trolls screamed and scattered, sprinting through the tunnel and trying to dodge falling dirt and rocks. Glitz, who was half blind, tucked his son into his hair and stuck to one side, using the wall as a sort of guide. Branch chose to give Glitz more room and stuck to the middle part of the tunnel. Perhaps if he had stuck to the sides like his glimmering guardian, he might have avoided what happened next.

It happened so fast that Branch barely even had time to blink. There was a flash of silver, and then a splatter of bright, crimson red. Branch hit a root hard as he fell, his small form crumpling instantly as he let out a heart-stopping scream. His eyes were blown wide as the noise of the world faded into a harsh, unwavering ringing sound. Although he could see what was in front of him, he couldn't comprehend what was happening, nor did he hear Glitz skidding to a stop behind him.

About a foot away from where he now lay was a shovel blade, slightly embedded in the moist dirt. The lower edge of the blade was dripping with a scarlet liquid, the dim sunlight beaming through the freshly made hole in the tunnel making the liquid shine. It soaked into the tunnel floor and reeked of cherries and copper. Branch knew what it was, but couldn’t understand why he was seeing it. Suddenly, he was lifted upwards, his cheek now pressed into a fuzzy forearm. The movement made his right leg erupt with a pain unlike any he had never known. The ringing in his now flattened ears waned, and Branch could finally hear Glitz’s panicked voice as well as his own pained cries.

“Oh Ancestors! Just, just don’t look! Close your eyes, we’re almost there!” Glitz stuttered out, dashing to the side as another blade pierced the ceiling.

Fear and pain ruled Branch’s mind, so he ignored the Glitter Troll’s words and glanced down at his leg. 

He _immediately_ regretted his decision.

Branch could barley even recognize his leg due to the state of it. A gash that started at his hip and ended just before his knee was gushing blood, dark and matted fur sticking to the sides of the wound. His leg muscles were torn open and flecks of white were visible beneath the carnage. The sight of his mangled limb caused Branch’s stomach to flip, and he only managed to mewl a quick warning to Glitz before he vomited onto the ground, his minuscule breakfast coming back up with a vengeance. Glitz paused only long enough to let Branch finish, quickly picking up the pace after the poor gray trolling had finally emptied his stomach of all it’s contents. 

Branch weakly wiped at his mouth, all the strength leaving his body as he panted, pained whines escaping him as he went limp. Vaguely, he was aware that he shouldn’t be feeling this numb, the pain in his leg now a series of sharp throbs as his breaths started to become shallow. He thought he heard Glitz swear, but he wasn’t sure, as sound was becoming kinda muffled. His flexible ears were now flopped downwards, his body not having the energy to keep them pinned tightly against his head. Glitz jolted to the left, startling Branch and rousing him slightly, fresh tears spilling from his eyes as he accidentally jostled his leg. 

Suddenly, there was more voices, one in particular catching Branch’s attention. King Peppy’s voice rang out as he helped the slower trolls get out of the tunnel faster. Surprisingly, the ruler was nearly naked, and Branch might have snickered if he hadn’t felt like he was at death’s door. When Peppy spotted Glitz, he smiled, but his happy expression dropped like a rock once he saw Branch. The King’s orange fur seemed to pale as he registered what he was seeing. Immediately, he rushed forward and took the torch from Glitz, allowing the other adult to better support Branch.

“By the Ancestors, what happened?!” He asked as they ran.

“One of the shovel blades got him in the leg. I didn’t have time to warn him.” Glitz said, his ears pinned back as far as they could go.

“We need to get him to Plum. Quickly, this way!” Peppy called, sliding down a steep drop and using his hair to propel himself and a few others, including Glitz and Branch, up and over the large uphill section and twisty turns of the tunnel.

Branch mentally questioned why they had dug it that way, but he soon forgot his criticizing thoughts when a bright light came into view, every troll rushing towards it. 

‘Freedom.’ Branch thought hopefully, his ears perking up slightly. A deep, primal need for sunlight and fresh air gripped him, and he felt himself struggling to raise himself up enough to get a good look at the outside world. 

Glitz gently lifted his arm so that Branch could rest his head and still be able to see. As the light drew closer, he shut his eyes so that he didn’t get blinded by the sunlight. He slowly reopened them when a breeze blew through his downy coat, his tail swaying slightly. If it hadn’t agitated his leg beyond belief, he might have enjoyed it. Through gritted teeth he took in his new surroundings, enraptured by the colourful yet intimidating forest towering above them.

Around him were a few more injured trolls, many sporting cuts and bruises. One troll had a broken leg, much like his own, minus all the blood and mangled flesh. A purple troll with green hairs was putting a makeshift, non-permanent cast on the other troll’s broken leg. Branch recognized her to be the tribe’s doctor, and he winced at the thought of having someone touch his leg, even if it was to treat it. He instinctively shrunk back, flattening himself as much as he could, even if it was a useless endeavor. 

“Plum! I need you over here, its urgent!” King Peppy called out, gesturing to Branch.

Dr. Plum quickly finished up with her current patient and hurried over. “Okay, what seems to be the OH MY GOODNESS!” She took a step back in surprise, her pupils flickering into slits momentarily. Her ears went back as she examined Branch’s leg, her hands hovering over the still heavily bleeding gash.

“This needs to be treated immediately or he’s going to go into shock. Branch, can you hear me?” She asked, gently tapping him on the arm. When Branch made a quiet noise of acknowledgement, she continued. “I need to give you some berries that will knock you out for a few hours, do you think you can sit up?”

The gray trolling huffed and managed to push himself up, baring his teeth and hissing as he adjusted himself, his limp leg flopping uselessly. Plum sucked in air through her teeth, now seeing that the bone had been badly broken. This would require surgery to fix, and the scar would never fully fade. She turned her attention back to her bag and retrieved a few small green berries. She handed them to Branch, who made a face but still ate them, his nose wrinkling at the bitter taste. After a few moments, his eyelids began to droop, and he slipped into unconsciousness. Plum took Branch from a now bloodstained Glitz, who pulled Guy out of his hair, the infant mewling fearfully as he clung to his father’s ruff. Glitz groomed his son’s puffed up fur, smoothing it down with his rough tongue.

Dr. Plum quickly wrapped Branch’s leg in what little leaf gauze she had left. She could make more later, and she would need it for when she actually finished operating on his leg, but this would have to do for now. They needed to move and find somewhere safe to rest before the sun went down. She shifted Branch in her arms and quickly rejoined the now moving group, Glitz and Guy following close behind her. Up ahead, she could see little princess Poppy waving and babbling at everyone, and the doctor couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face. The princess hadn’t been harmed, and they all had Branch to thank for that. Despite his dull colours and less than friendly attitude, he was a kind soul, and he truly did not deserve what had happened to him. She just hoped that she would be able to fix his leg, and that the injury wouldn’t permanently cripple him.

‘He’s strong.’ She thought to herself. ‘If anyone can survive a wound like that, it’s Branch.’


	2. First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch encounters One (1) royal Techno boi and ends up making a friend.

Branch shifted, groaning slightly. The dull, consistent throbs of pain in his right leg reminded him of the events that had previously transpired. His eyes opened wide as he pushed himself up slightly, his ears swiveling. 

It was nighttime now, and splotches of moonlight filtered in through the leaves above him. He was encircled by Glitz’s tail as he and the rest of the tribe rested on a low hanging tree branch. Slowly, he staggered into a crouch, trying to avoid putting weight on his leg. He breathed in the cool night air, tasting all the new scents of the forest on his tongue. He let out a small disbelieving laugh, smiling as he quietly enjoyed his surroundings. He took the opportunity to look at his leg.

His once mangled and bloody limb was now bound in a thick leaf and wood pulp gauze wrap that tickled his stomach slightly when he moved it. It would prevent his wound from getting infected, but he would need to be careful with it. He settled down on the sturdy tree limb, enjoying the soft moonbeams. 

Then, suddenly, something disrupted the silence. Branch flinched back as a faint cry reached his ears. He flicked his forward, leaning downwards slightly as he searched for the source of the noise. The call came again, a sort of warbling chirp tinted with panic and pain. Branch looked at Glitz, who was curled around his son, fast asleep. He could wake them, but they were no doubt exhausted from the trek they must have had to endure. He glanced down at where the sound originated from, then back at his comfy resting place. He could very easily tune out the noise and go back to being warm and asleep, but what if innocent animal died and he could have prevented it? 

That thought had Branch hooking his claws onto the thick trunk of the tree. Slowly and carefully, using only three of his limbs, he descended the tree. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief when his left paw touched the soft moss of the forest floor, relinquishing the death grip he had on the poor tree bark. He tried to put weight on his bad leg, but stopped when the dull throbs of pain became sharp stabs. Fine, he would limp then.

Branch made his way through the ground foliage, muttering what little curses he knew under his breath as he limped through the forest. The cries were louder now, sounding more like sobs the closer he got. After a few more minutes of walking and stumbling, he came to a clearing. The sound of a bubbling stream, something Branch had only heard of in stories, greeted his ears. However, the water itself was not what caught his attention.

There, caught under a heavy-looking net, was a creature completely foreign yet impossibly familiar to Branch. Its large turquoise and spring green eyes were wet with tears, the sparkling droplets sliding down it’s chubby, dark blue face, illuminated by glowing neon green markings that flashed in different patterns. Fins on the side of the creature’s head flicked up and down rapidly before settling into a defeated slump, falling against it’s head. It cried out again, the markings, which Branch now noticed were all over it’s body and were every colour of the rainbow, blinking rapidly as it chirped. The fins flickered up for a moment as it listened, but only silence returned its cry. The creature sniffed sadly and sunk down, laying despondently in the rippling shallow water.

Branch felt his heart ache at the sight. This poor creature didn’t deserve this, and he would be damned if he didn’t at least try and help it. Cautiously, he stepped out from behind the tree he had been leaning on, sliding down the small bank as he approached. The small creature let out a frightened screech and began to thrash, further tangling itself in the net.

“Woah, stop! I’m not gonna hurt you!” Branch exclaimed, putting his hands up in surrender. 

Luckily, the creature stopped, choosing instead to tilt its head at him. Branch slowly inched closer, taking special care not to rest his weight on his right leg for too long. When the creature didn’t move, he got closer, close enough that he could hear its ragged breathing. It blinked at him, a transparent second eyelid sliding across its eyes. It opened its mouth slightly.

“A… a Pop Troll?” A young, masculine voice whispered.

Branch made a surprised noise and stepped backwards, hissing as his leg halted his retreat. Okay, _that _was going to get annoying fast.__

__“You can speak?!” He whisper-yelled, his eyes as wide as the full moon shining overhead._ _

__The creature nodded. “Yeah. We Techno Trolls don’t usually speak in Common, but we can if we have to!” He chirped affirmatively._ _

__“There are other kinds of Trolls?” Branch questioned._ _

__“Yeah! If you could get me out of this thing, I can tell you about them.” The Techno Troll said, straining against the net. “I’m Prince Trollex, by the way.”_ _

__“Branch.” Branch replied, still in shock as he began to cut away the thick ropes with his little sharp claws. Once the ropes had been damaged enough, he bit down on them and jerked his head, causing them to snap._ _

__Trollex crawled through the hole Branch had made, wincing as parts of the rope touched a very bloody part of his face. Branch hadn’t noticed it before, since Trollex’s skin was so dark, but he had a set of four claw marks on his right cheek. They lay just beneath the glowing markings on his face and were oozing blood._ _

__“What happened to your face?” Branch asked._ _

__“What happened to your leg?” Trollex questioned at the same time._ _

__The two males blinked at each other, before Trollex burst out into a fit of giggles, Branch following suit with his own chuckles._ _

__“Okay, how about this? You tell me about these other tribes, and I’ll go harvest some leaves to put on your face. Then we can talk about injuries.” Branch offered, stepping out of the water. He hated getting wet, since his fur was thicker and took longer to dry._ _

__Trollex nodded and moved to a deeper part of the stream, the gills on his side fluttering as he took in fresh water and oxygen. “Okay, so a long, long, long, long time ago, our Ancestors created six magic strings that hold the very cores of our music. Without them, we can’t sing. There are six strings, Pop, Classical, Rock, Techno, Funk and Country. I’ve only ever met a Country Troll, but now I guess I can say I’ve met a Pop Troll too!” He said in one continuous sentence._ _

__Branch flicked his ears as he listened, gathering fistfuls of the softest leaves he could reach. Once he had enough, he scratched at a tree until sap started to clump in his fur. He grimaced, as it felt disgusting, but he persevered, sticking the leaves together before getting some more sap and putting it on the edge of the makeshift bandage. He was no doctor, but this looked like it would work. He returned to Trollex and applied the leaves, making sure he didn’t get sap on the cuts themselves. The prince squirmed slightly but didn’t protest, patting the bandage down once Branch had finished._ _

__“Thanks. I can get something better on it once I find my pod, but this should stop the bleeding at least.” He said, his markings glowing slightly as he spoke. “Okay, do you want to go first, or should I?”_ _

__“You first.” Branch said, easing himself onto a log so that he could rest._ _

__Trollex settled down as well, his dark tail disappearing in the deeper water. “Well, it all started when I was traveling with my tribe. You see, we had to leave our old home since it was no longer safe for us. An underwater volcano was going to erupt in a few days, and it would have killed us all if we had stayed.”_ _

__“I feel for you. My tribe just escaped being livestock likely less than a day ago.” Branch said empathetically._ _

__Trollex’s already huge eyes widened and almost seemed to bulge out of his head. “What?! That’s horrible! How did you escape?” He asked, leaning forward._ _

__“That kinda ties in with my story, so finish yours first.” He said, crossing one arm and resting his other elbow on his palm, making a “go on” gesture with his hand._ _

__Trollex’s gills fluttered as he huffed, but he continued._ _

__“Anyways, we were moving everyone to a new place, some kind of deep-sea coral reef that my mom and dad had been building for years, when this huge creature came out of nowhere!” The young prince spread his arms wide, leaning back slightly as he tried to appear taller. “It was black with bright orange and red stripes. I think my mom called it a “Saber Seal”. So, we’re all trying to escape by swimming into a mess of currents. Everyone made it in, but I got hit by one of the Saber Seal’s fins and ended up getting caught in an undertow and dragged away, that’s where my cuts came from. Eventually, I got stuck in that net. I was there for hours, until you found me.”_ _

__Branch whistled. “That’s rough buddy. But I’m sure your mom and dad will come for you, since they can follow… um, the “undertow”, was it?”_ _

__Trollex nodded. “I hope so. But now it’s your turn. I wanna know why you got that big bandage on your leg.”_ _

__

__So Branch recounted his tale to Trollex, omitting most of the gorier details. The Techno Troll was shaking by the time he had finished, the heart on his chest flashing rapidly._ _

__“I knew your story would be bad, but I didn’t think it would be that bad! How are you even able to walk?!” He asked, his voice little more than a stunned whisper._ _

__Branch shrugged. He had half expected to lose the limb when he had realized how bad it was._ _

__‘You still might.’ His inner voice reminded him._ _

__Branch wiggled his toes on his right paw, trying to see how much nerve damage there was. He could move them, but he had to really fight to get them to cooperate.  
He was about to continue talking to Trollex, but a sharp, distressed cry rang out, coming from downstream. Trollex immediately perked up and responded, his trill sounding just as desperate._ _

__“That’s my mom! They found me!” He chirped ecstatically._ _

__Branch smiled, Trollex’s happiness rubbing off on him slightly. If he had looked at the fur around his heart, he might have noticed that it was looking slightly bluer than before._ _

__“Well, what are you waiting for? Go see them.” He said, gesturing downstream._ _

__Trollex darted towards the noise, disappearing into the inky darkness of the water. However, he reemerged a few seconds later, swimming up to Branch._ _

__“Oh, I almost forgot!” He said quickly, removing a small white ring that seemed to reflect a rainbow on its shimmering surface as the moonlight struck it. He handed it to Branch, who looked at it, confused._ _

__“That ring has the royal symbol of my tribe carved into it. Tradition says that anyone who wears it is considered to be an honorary Techno Troll, even if they aren’t born one. I want you to have it, as a thank you, you know, for saving my life and treating my wounds.” Trollex explained._ _

__Branch looked at the prince, shocked by his words. “B-but all I did was get you out of a situation you would have gotten out of anyways! Your parents could have gotten you out of that net easy! I-I don’t deserve this!” He stammered._ _

__“But I didn’t know that, did I? Branch, I thought I was going to die there, scared and alone, and I might have. I could have been picked off by a predator, or I might have bled out. I’m the only heir to the throne, and my parents wouldn’t be able to handle loosing another child.” Trollex said, becoming deathly serious. “You have saved not only my life tonight, but the lives of my people. You deserve that ring. I am honored to consider you part of my tribe, and to call you my friend.” He finished with a soft smile._ _

__Branch’s jaw was opening and closing as he worked to find the right words. He finally settled on just closing his mouth and giving the Techno Troll a tight hug. Trollex returned the hug, his markings glowing brightly. After a few seconds of embracing, the two new friends separated. Trollex gave Branch one last wave before diving beneath the water once more._ _

__Branch stayed where he was, turning the ring over in his paw. It was too small for him to wear comfortably, but he was sure he could fashion a nice necklace out of it. For the first time since his grandmother had died a year ago yesterday, he felt somewhat happy. He looked down into the water, and gasped softly when he saw that colour had returned to his irises. What had once been a dull, stormy gray was now shades of astonishing blues and hints of teal._ _

__Tears hit the water, making the surface ripple. He stared at his reflection for a few more minutes, relishing the return of his True Colours, even if it was just in his eyes. The distant screech of a large bird, however, had him scurrying back to the tree the rest of the Pop Trolls were staying in. He tucked the ring into a secure pocket and buttoned it closed before beginning the slow, torturous climb back up to his sleeping spot. Once he was there, he carefully stepped over Glitz’s tail and settled down, being sure not move his leg around too much. He rested his head on his arms, his own fluffy tail curling around his slightly chilled form. The water had been cold, and his paws ached from being in it too long. He shuddered slightly as he closed his eyes, burying his face in his downy ruff as he drifted back off to sleep, dreams of flashing markings and shining rings occupying his sleeping mind._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want some visuals, look no further! ~ https://www.deviantart.com/floofyborbs/art/First-Meeting-835913246
> 
> and ~ https://www.deviantart.com/floofyborbs/art/I-m-In-Quarantine-So-Here-s-Trollex-835075205 for those of you who want to see Trollex's new design.


	3. New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The forest is a scary place, but it also holds some neat surprises!

Branch sighed as Guy once again pounced on his tail, the trolling squealing in delight when it moved back and forth. He, along with a few other trolls, were staying behind to help watch the youngest members of the tribe while their caretakers went in search of a better place to spend the night. Although he was technically one of the children being supervised, he had offered to entertain Guy while Glitz helped the others. The elder Glitter Troll had trouble trusting anyone to watch his son, but if he had to ask someone, Branch was one of the better options.

It was for this reason, and the fact that he wouldn't be able to bring himself to get mad at a pup, that he tolerated the abuse his poor tail was suffering. Still, he far preferred that Guy tug on his tail, rather than his ears, which were far more sensitive. He grimaced as Guy rolled around on the fluffy parts of his tail, getting little specks of glitter everywhere. Although baby Glitter Trolls were not usually as sparkly as their adult counterparts, Guy seemed to be the exception. It was a trait his father had hoped he would not inherit, as it made him far easier for bergens to spot.

“Don’t worry Guy, you wont have to worry about that anymore.” He said softly, swinging his tail around and lifting the shimmering trolling up into his arms. 

The sunlight reflected off of Guy’s glittery skin, shining onto the leaves behind them. The infant gurgled and patted Branch’s nose, who sighed in begrudging acceptance. As the two played together, Branch began to notice a dark spot that was circling in the sky. He raised a hand and stared at it, trying to see what it was.

A loud screech split the air, and all heads immediately turned skyward. Branch tensed and gathered Guy up into his arms, back peddling as quickly as he could into the shade, his dark fur masking Guy’s own silvery peach fuzz.

“GEODE, LOOK OUT!” Someone screamed.

Branch watched in horror as a pink Glitter Troll with lavender and white hair was snatched up by a giant talon, her screams being abruptly cut off by a sickening crunch. Branch curled inward, shielding Guy as a few blood droplets hit the ground. The clearing was eerily silent as the Trolls tried to understand what they had just seen. 

King Peppy and the rest of the group returned to complete silence, which caused quite a bit of panic until a few trolls popped out of their hiding places. Branch eased himself down from a cluster of small branches with his hair, Guy and Poppy tucked into his arms, their tiny eyes wide and fearful and their fur standing on end. His arms shook as he handed the trollings over to their respective fathers, his ears pinned flat against his head and his tail fluffed up as far as it could go.

“Branch, what happened?” Glitz asked, kneeling down and putting a paw on the older trolling’s tense shoulder.

“Bird. A-a bird got Geode.” He whispered, rubbing his shoulders for comfort.

Glitz gasped, his own ears shooting back in surprise before drooping mournfully.

“Oh son. Oh come here.” He said, pulling Branch into a one armed hug. Branch buried his face in Glitz’s fur, his body trembling as his injured leg began to give out. Glitz, with some effort, managed to pick both Guy and Branch up as he rose to his feet, the latter luckily still being small enough to carry without too much struggle. The tribe looked mournfully at the blood droplets before moving deeper into the forest. From there on in, they stayed under the cover of the canopy, having someone be on look out when they absolutely had to be exposed.

_A few days later…_

Branch watched as King Peppy gave his speech, wincing slightly when everyone started to dance and sing. They had finally reached a safe place, the place where they were going to live, and the first thing everyone did was party? Was no one else concerned that they might be alerting a hungry predator? Glitz at least seemed to share his view point, smiling along with everyone else but also casting worried glances at the surrounding forest. Branch stepped closer to Glitz, not wanting to be separated from his new guardian by the crowd. 

Glitz had told Branch last night that he would look after him from now on, unceremoniously adopting the gray trolling into his little family. Branch was happy that Glitz was the one looking out for him, as he wasn’t sure he could stand being around anyone else for too long. He glanced at Glitz’s scar, his head tilting ever so slightly. His injury was another reason Branch was glad Glitz had adopted him, seeing as how no other troll aside from the elder Glitter Troll sported a wound as serious as his own, so Glitz would be the only other troll aside from Doctor Plum who would know how to help Branch heal. He would have to ask Glitz how he had gotten his scar someday. 

Once the festivities had died down, everyone set to work gathering materials. Branch, along with another, slightly younger troll, Creek, was once again on babysitting duty, only this time he was also watching over the princess, as well as someone new. During the tribe’s journey, they had encountered an orphaned egg that had been floating down a river. King Peppy had fished it out of the water, and, upon discovering that the creature inside was still alive when the egg had started to shake, decided to take it with them.  
Creek entertained Poppy, flicking his gradient tail around on the ground while the princess giggled and tried to catch it, while Branch was laying on the ground, making a rock pile with Guy, as well as keeping his tail wrapped around the egg. Just as he was about to add another rock to their ever growing pile, he heard a quiet cracking noise emanate from the egg. He sat up, looking at the egg, or more specifically, the thin crack that had formed on its shell.

“Um, Creek?” He said, not taking his eyes off of the egg. “I think you should go get an adult.”

“Why?” The purple troll asked. However, once he heard the egg crack again, a small, light blue foot sticking out of the shell, he scrambled upwards. “Oh! Quick, take Poppy and I’ll go get help!” 

Branch took the princess and set her down next to Guy, the two pups staring curiously at the egg as it wobbled. Branch uncurled his tail and gently put a paw on the egg, keeping it steady as the baby inside fought to break free. Another leg popped out, then another, then another! 

“Four legs?!” Branch exclaimed. What was in there?

The creature tried to stand, it’s little legs shaking as the rest of the egg made it become unbalanced and topple over. The eggshell crumpled and a small, pink, fuzzy… thing was left looking utterly bewildered. Its ears were too big for its head, and its legs were skinny and long. It looked at Branch, huge blue eyes staring right into his soul.

‘Oh no.’ He thought, his pupils expanding slightly. ‘Its _too_ cute.’

The sound of footsteps caught Branch’s attention, and he turned his head to see Creek, King Peppy, a bright yellow troll named Sunny, and Sunny’s mate, Iris, a blue glitter troll with dark purple hair. The other trolls formed a semi circle around the newly hatched creature, various “Aww”s passing their lips as they took in its adorable appearance. Sunny scooped the baby up, tickling its stomach.

“Ohoho, look at you! You’re so cuteeee! Yes you are! Yes you are!” She cooed, making the baby giggle.

“What is it?” Branch asked, handing Poppy to King Peppy as he stood up with Guy, who was babbling some nonsensical tune at the new arrival, his voice pitching oddly. The sound wasn’t unpleasant, just odd.

King Peppy peered at the newborn, rubbing his chin. “I believe… that it, or rather, he, despite all the odds might just be a Funk Troll!” He said, surprise obvious in his voice.

Trollex’s words echoed in Branch’s mind, and he wondered how a far this pup had traveled. How far away from home was he? Was he an orphan too? Or was there a distraught pair of parents out there, desperately looking for their egg?

“Funk Troll? Whats that?” Creek asked, his eyes wide.

“A different tribe of Troll that lives far away from here. I have no idea how a Funk Troll egg could have ended up here though…” Iris said, scratching her head.

“Oh, he’s so adorable! Iris, can we adopt him? Please?” Sunny begged, her eyes large and pleading. The infant in Sunny’s arms mimicked her movements, even tilting his head a little. The combined work of Sunny and the baby won Iris over quickly, who sighed and nodded, reaching out a hand and smoothing down the Funk pup’s fuzzy fur. 

“Yeah okay I admit it, he is super cute. Don’t worry King Peppy, this little guy will be safe with us.” Iris said.

“Splendid!” The king said. 

“Spended!” Poppy echoed.

“What are you gonna name him?” Creek asked, looking at the newborn with a curious expression. 

“How about… Cooper?” Sunny suggested. Iris thought for a moment, before she nodded approvingly, smiling at her new son.

“Cooper it is then. I’ll initiate him into the tribe tonight. In the meantime, come along children! It’s dinner time.” King Peppy said, flicking his tail towards the center of the village.

Creek practically danced the whole way back to the village, while Branch limped forward. Doctor Plum had started making him a pair of crutches, but they would be ready until this time tomorrow at the earliest, so he would just have to hobble until then. Iris slowed down to make sure he didn’t fall, and while the gesture was nice, it made his ears burn slightly in embarrassment. He hated having to rely on others, and he felt kinda guilty that Iris felt like she had to watch over him when she should be celebrating with her mate.

“You don’t have to stay behind for me. Go with Sunny, Iris. I’ll be okay.” He said, looking at the ground.

“Nonsense. It’s a miracle that you can walk at all. Most trolls wouldn’t be able to. It’s okay to need a little help sometimes.” She said softly, looking back over her shoulder.

Branch didn’t reply, and Iris didn’t pressure him to speak more. He decided that he liked Iris.


	4. Sunny Day

A few weeks had passed, and Glitz had finally built a pod, nestled safely within the branches of the enormous tree where the village had decided to settle down. It was smaller than their old home, but the branches here served as walkways, so transportation was a lot easier. However, now that Branch had a safe place to rest, it meant that he had to wear a proper cast so that his leg would heal correctly. It wrapped around his leg and torso and it was so hot and itchy. He could barely move, and although he didn’t really like being around too many people, he would have given anything to be able to run and play in the sunlight with the other kids.

Creek came by almost everyday to do stretches with him and tell him about what was going on, and Biggie, a gentle giant whom Branch had been introduced to about a week ago, would sometimes join them, often bringing some kind of sweet fruit or berry with him. Today, he had brought something different.

“Biggie, what is that?” Branch asked, peering at the small round object in the Giant Troll’s paw. It was white and soft looking, little flecks of fuzz sticking up from its surface.

“I don’t know. I found it on a leaf floating down the stream that runs near my pod.” Biggie said.

“It looks like an egg.” Creek said, looking over at the object from his yoga mat. He was currently doing downward dog, while Branch and Biggie practiced cobra pose.

“Do you think it will hatch?” Biggie asked excitedly.

“Maybe. I mean, Cooper’s egg survived floating down a river, so why can’t this one? If it even is an egg.” Branch said, sighing as his spine cracked satisfyingly.

“I think I’m gonna call whatever comes out… Mr. Dinkles!” Biggie said, gently cradling the maybe-egg in his paws.

“What if its a girl?” Branch asked.

“I don’t think bugs really care about gender, Branch.” Creek giggled, switching to the lotus position. “You could call it whatever and I don’t think it would mind.”

“Fair enough.” The gray trolling replied, sitting up. “But Biggie, you should put that somewhere safe. You don’t wanna accidentally squish it.” 

Creek nodded in agreement. He looked at the leaves outside of the pod and got an idea.

“Hey Branch, you’re good at making things right?” He asked, getting to his feet.

“I guess so. Why?” Branch replied, cocking his head slightly.

“I think we can make a little home for the egg out of these leaves.” Creek said, stretching up and grabbing the soft green leaves. 

Unlike adults, trollings didn’t have very good control of their hair, so Creek could only grab what he could reach standing on his tiptoes. Once he had two pawfuls, he walked over to one branch not too far away. The branch had many nuts hanging from it, and he grabbed one that looked not quite right. He went back inside and spread the leaves and nut out in front of him as he sat down. 

“Okay, how should we make this?” He asked.

Branch rubbed his chin. “Well, if Biggie can crack that nut in half, I can hollow it out, and then we can weave those leaves together to make a soft cushion.” 

“Yes Branch! I knew you’d have a good idea.” Creek said excitedly, exchanging the nut for the maybe-egg. 

Biggie pulled the nut apart and handed half to Branch. It was about the size of his palm, and he set to work carving it out, his larger claws making quick work of the nut’s insides. After about 5 minutes, he had emptied it, and only the shell was left. Creek grabbed a few leaves and started to weave, Biggie joining him after placing the maybe-egg on a nearby pillow. Branch started carving the other half of the nut, figuring that he could make some kind of cover out of it. He made a sort of hinge and weaved two pieces of leaf through it and the other half of the nut so that it could open and close.

Half an hour later, they had finished. The woven leaves were a little wonky looking, and they had to restart a few times when Branch’s claws had accidentally hooked onto a leaf, but it was very soft and fit snugly into the nutshell. Biggie gently transferred the maybe-egg onto the soft little nest they had made. It looked very comfortable, and they liked to imagine that the little bug that might be in there appreciated their hard work.

Not too long after they had finished, Glitz returned, a basket in his mouth and Guy clinging onto his back. They were still trying to make walking paths on the branches of the tree, so most trolls chose to walk on all fours and use their claws to keep themselves sturdy on the smooth bark.

Glitz plucked Guy off his back with his tail and walked into the pod, greeting the trollings as he walked by.

"Well, what are you three up to today?” He asked, putting the basket on a countertop.

“Biggie might have found a bug egg, so we made it a home.” Creek said, smiling at the older male.

“Really now? Well, that’s was a very smart idea. I’m sure whatever comes out of that egg will love it.” Glitz said, returning the smile as he carried Guy over to his crib.

The infant made a squeaky noise of disagreement, but quickly quieted down as Glitz spun his mobile.

“Alright kids, its nap time. Biggie, Creek, would you like to stay over?” Glitz asked, going over to a cupboard and retrieving a few soft pillows and blankets.

“I think I’m gonna go home, got to make sure this lil guy has a safe place to grow in my room!” Biggie said, holding up the nutshell.

“I’d like to stay, if that’s okay.” Creek said. 

Branch wouldn’t admit it, but he slept better if there was someone near him while he was sleeping, and goodness if his friend didn’t need more sleep.

“Of course. Be safe, Biggie. Keep an eye on the sky and don’t dawdle. The Wing-Dingles can see you clear as day right now.” Glitz cautioned.

“I will!” Biggie promised, waving goodbye to his friends as he left the pod, quickly glancing upwards before darting away.

Glitz handed Creek a plush pink pillow and a downy yellow blanket. It was well loved, and some parts had uneven feather distribution, but damn if it wasn’t soft. Glitz put down a dark green leaf blanket and a few slightly sturdier pillow for Branch, positioning them so that the sun would shine down on the trolling as he slept. Then, he loosely wrapped his tail around Branch’s torso, helping him to lay down and get comfortable. Creek pulled his blanket closer to Branch and lay down a few feet away from him, giving his friend space while also being close by for comfort.

Usually, cuddling was the norm for Trolls, but Branch hated it. He said it made him feel trapped, and although Creek enjoyed cuddling with his friends, he wouldn’t invade Branch’s personal space if he asked him not too, which he had. 

Creek yawned as he curled his tail in close, taking a moment to smooth down his fur. His pale, slightly dull purple coat, like every trolling who hadn’t experienced their teenage shed yet, still had dark spots on it, much like those of a fawn. In a about 8 to 9 years, he’d grow in his more vibrant coat and lose the spots. As he drifted off to sleep, he imagined what they would all look like when they were grown. He’d be the brightest purple, and he would wear something to complement his fur, like yellow yoga pants. Biggie would probably be a dark blue, and he’d be huge! A true gentle giant.

…But what about Branch?

Would he always be that same ashen gray that almost looked slightly teal when the sun hit it just right? Or would he go back to being that bright, happy aquamarine that Creek could just barely remember now? Well, he supposed it didn't really matter what colour he turned out to be, because the fact that he was Creek's friend would not change.


	5. First Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow!

By the time Branch’s cast was ready to come off, the first snowfall had arrived. 

The dense canopy, surprisingly, hadn’t shed away during the autumnal months, but rather the leaves had only curled back slightly, leaving the trolls more exposed than they would have liked, but not entirely defenseless against the harsh elements. Snow had fallen on the Troll Tree, but the leaves never wilted, nor did they curl, so unless one ventured to the ground, the snow never bothered the Trolls, save for the occasional unavoidable snowstorm. Ice still formed, but not as much as it would on a normal tree.

Branch, like many other young trollings, had never gotten the chance to play in the snow out of fear that a bergen might see them and decide to have a nice winter treat. But now that they had their freedom, Branch was finally allowed to experience some winter fun. Or at least, he would if Glitz would stop fussing over him and just take the damn cast off already.

Creek was rocking back and forth on his heels excitedly as he waited for an uncharacteristically impatient and equally as excited Branch to get his cast taken off. Branch’s tail flicked back and forth as Glitz very carefully cut away parts of the cast, his curved claws slowly but surely slicing through the tough material. After a few more cuts, the majority of the cast fell away, revealing a huge, jagged scar that reached from the end of his hip to just past his knee. 

Creek gasped, not having seen the actual wound before it had been bandaged. Branch stared in awe at his leg, the sight almost foreign to him now. He moved it experimentally, wincing at the odd stiffness of his limb. He would need to work on that. But despite that, he was ecstatic. 

“It… works. It- it works! I have my leg back!” He nearly sobbed, still working out the muscles. 

“Can you stand?” Glitz asked, offering him his paw with a soft smile.

“Yeah, I think so.” Branch replied, wobbling slightly as he stood on one leg, then eased his weight onto his bad leg.

It didn’t feel great, but by the Ancestors he was standing! He took a few shaky steps, becoming bolder with each one. Soon, he was moving around the room, a slight limp in his gait. Branch didn’t even mind, he was just happy to be moving again. Creek cheered and clapped for him as he managed to hop up onto a pillow, his leg protesting but not enough to take him down.

“Be careful Branch, your leg bone just got done healing. Don’t go breaking it again.” Glitz cautioned, his tone a mix of joking and serious.

“I won’t, I promise! Can we go play now?” He asked, hurrying over to where Creek was standing.

“Sure, but be home before sundown, okay? And don’t wander off too far from home.” Glitz said, nodding in approval.

“Okay! Bye Dad!” Branch called, only realizing what he had just called a now stunned Glitz after Creek commented on it as they were heading down the walking path.  
Glitz’s shocked look gradually melted into a soft, misty-eyed smile. 

“Dad. He called me Dad.” He choked, holding his paw over his heart as he fought back a few happy tears, not wanting his eyes to burn from the winter’s bitter cold.

A small gaggle of trollings stood at the edge of a tree root, peering at the fluffy white powder resting just below them. A few brave ones, like Branch and Ryder, a red troll with frizzy blue hair, inched closer, the latter even dipping a paw down and touching the snow with his foot. He squeaked and recoiled as soon as his toepaw hit the white flakes.

“It’s so cold, dude!” He exclaimed, backing up slightly.

So preoccupied was the group that they didn’t notice a giggling ball of pink and blue sliding down one of the smoother roots until it landed in the snow in front of them, sending up a white spray. The trollings slipped and tripped in the chaos and ended up falling off the root and onto the snow below.

Branched sneezed, rubbing at his nose with his paws as he sat up, his body starting to shiver.

“What happened?” He questioned aloud, looking around at the disoriented trollings scattered around him.

A burst of laughter came from somewhere to Branch’s left, and a cheerfully mischievous Cooper popped up, his too-big green hat dusted in snow. He rolled around, getting thoroughly coated in the icy crystals. 

“Cooper, sweetie, where did you go?” A bright, yet distinctly concerned voice called from one of the larger overhead branches. Sunny walked along the path, her ears flicking around, searching for the sound of her runaway son returning to her.

“Down here, Mrs. Sunny!” Creek called, his face half buried.

“Huh? Oh! Cooper, honey, how in the world did you get down there?” Sunny asked, worriedly looking down at her son, who was becoming progressively whiter by the minute. “Never mind, I’ll come down and get you. Kids, could you make sure he doesn’t run off?” 

“I don’t think he’d get very far if he tried. This stuff is hard to walk in.” Branch muttered, letting out a surprised noise when he tripped over someone’s tail and face planted into the snow.

His ears burned with embarrassment for the second time that day when he heard the other kids start to laugh. Creek pulled him up, a look of barely withheld amusement on his face. 

“Are you -snrk- are you okay, Branch?” He asked, trying not to burst into laughter.

“Fine” Branch grumbled, wiping the snow off his face.

At last, Sunny made it down to collect Cooper, who looked like a sheep. She tried to brush the snow off, but it clung to his downy coat like glue.

“Oh dear, we need to get you warm! Kids, make sure that you don’t stay out too long if the snow is going to stick to you like this. Don’t want any of you getting sick.” She said, before climbing back up the tree and hurrying back to her pod. 

Branch looked down at his own body, and grimaced as he realized that snow was indeed clumping in his fur. He pulled a few clumps out, looking at them. They were about the size of acorns, and fit nicely in his palm. A mischievous grin made its way onto his face as he pressed them together, forming a walnut-sized ball. He wound back his arm and threw it at an unsuspecting Creek. The purple troll squealed in surprise and fell over, making a whump sound as he disappeared in the snow.

After a few seconds, Creek’s head popped up and he shook the snow off his face. He sent Branch a playful glare and began gathering up his own snow, packing it into shape as the other trollings picked up on the idea of the game Branch had just started. Creek tossed a snowball back at Branch, who ducked just in time, causing the snowball to hit a trolling that had been behind him.

Chaos erupted as they broke out into a full blown war. Snowballs whipped by as the trollings chased each other around. Branch was a bit of an easier target due to his limp, but he always came back with a vengeance. After they had all exhausted each other, they worked together to build a snow creature. It resembled the fuzzy, friendly Woofer Bugs that coexisted with their tribe, although this one was a bit misshapen.

By the time they had finished, the sun was starting to go down, and their now wet fur did little to protect them from the chill wind. They said goodbye to each other and headed home, careful not to linger too long in one place, lest their paws become slightly frozen to the bark. Branch made sure that Creek got home safe before heading back to his pod, his aching leg slowing him down slightly as he tried to beat the setting sun. He was so preoccupied by the disappearing light and the pain in his leg that he did not notice a patch of shimmering ice until he was suddenly sliding sideways.

He yelled out terror as he scrambled for purchase, his claws scraping at the ice and just barely managing to catch on the bark. His lower half was hanging over the side of the tree limb. If he fell, he would die. Panic took control of his actions as he tried to claw his way back up, but the days activities had worn him out, and he was still only a pup, really, so his muscles weren’t developed enough for him to be able to pull himself up. His bad leg didn’t even want to work at all now, so, out of options and slowly loosing his grip, he did the only thing he could think of. He took a deep breath.

“DAD!”

Glitz was just putting Guy to sleep when a scream made him freeze. He quickly raised the cribs safety bars before racing out the door, dropping onto all fours to move faster. Up ahead, he saw something that made his heart drop into his stomach. Branch was clinging to the edge of the tree limb, a patch of ice covered in scratch marks telling the story of how he got there. Glitz wasted no time in grabbing Branch by his scruff, hauling him back up to safety. The gray trolling was shivering badly, his paw pads bleeding from his desperate clawing at the ice. He sniffed pitifully as he pressed himself into Glitz’s stomach, his ears back as far as they could go and his fur standing on end.  
Glitz rubbed Branch’s back, his own heart still pounding. If he had been a few seconds later…

Branch, what happened?” He asked. His adopted son was usually the most careful troll in the village, how had he slipped on ice?

“I-I’m -hic- I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was there! I- I don’t even know what it was!” Branch sobbed.

Glitz almost face palmed right there and then. Of course Branch had slipped, you couldn’t try to avoid a hazard if you didn’t even know it was one. He kept forgetting how young Branch was. He hadn’t even seen snow before, let alone ice on bark. Trollings were kept inside during winter until they were about 6 and could learn to camouflage themselves so that they wouldn’t stick out against the white snow, so Branch usually wouldn’t have encountered ice for three more years had they still been in the Troll Tree.

“Oh Branch, shhhh, its okay. This is my fault, not yours. I should have warned you about the ice. I’m so sorry, son.” He said apologetically. It was time for a lesson on the dangers of winter, it seemed. 

“I don’t like ice.” Branch sniffed, his voice muffled slightly by Glitz’s fur.

“Neither do I. Come now, lets get home. You need to rest and get warm.” Glitz replied, nudging Branch to his feet. 

Branch tried to walk, but quickly stumbled, his scar feeling like it was on fire. Glitz quickly picked Branch up and hurried home, quickly checking on Guy before fetching the warmest blankets they had and wrapping Branch in them. When it was time to go to sleep, Branch made an exception to his no cuddling rule and snuggled close to Glitz, trying to get warmer. Glitz didn’t protest and wrapped his tail around Branch, trying his best to keep the little pup warm.


	6. Rash Decisions Only Lead To Heartache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ooooohhhh boy
> 
> hope ya'll like angst 'cause holy shit is there a lot of it

Years Later...

Branch first really started to notice that he was different when he turned 10 years old.

It was springtime, and all the young trolls were outside playing in the soft green grass, little critters accompanying them as they sang and danced. Many of them had recently had experienced growth spurts, Branch and Creek included. Their hair began to grow quicker, their tails became longer and stronger, and the ruff of fur on their chests became more prominent. But Branch noticed that a few things were different between him and all the other trollings. 

While their teeth were mostly blunt with their fangs being a little bit sharper, his were larger and far sharper, his fangs being the biggest and sharpest. Like his teeth, his claws were very different as well. While every other troll's claws could retract and extend, his were longer and constantly extended. He couldn't climb as well as the other kids, but he was an exceptional digger. His ears ended in a point instead of being blunted, and his fur was thicker. 

But the most obvious thing was his size. While Creek had certainly gotten bigger, it was nothing compared to how much Branch had grown. Creek's nose just barely went past Branch's ruff, and he was more muscular. The only one who was bigger than him was Biggie and, surprisingly, Cooper, who was now 7 years old. 

Now, this all wouldn't have bothered Branch, if it weren't for the fact that he was becoming more dangerous. Recently, he had accidentally scratched Guy when he had been playing with him. The cut had bled a little, and both Guy and Branch had been freaking out until Glitz had calmed them down. Branch had tried to avoid touching anyone after that. No more wrestling matches with Creek, no more tag with Guy, and he hugged his family much less, curling his nails into his palms when either Glitz or Guy's sad demeanor broke his resolve.

The lack of affection was leaving him feeling irritable and depressed. What little colour had returned to his fur melted away, leaving him as gray as a rock. This caught the attention of his friends, and caused them to become increasingly concerned. Finally, Creek was tired of Branch avoiding him, so he along with Poppy, Biggie, and his pet worm, Mr. Dinkles, who had hatched in the first spring following their escape from Bergen Town, went to go visit their gray friend.

Poppy had started to get to know Branch through being friends with Creek. She liked Branch, and wished that he would play with them more often. But Branch never wanted to dance or sing or even hug! She wanted to ask why, but Creek told her that it would only make him upset, so she never did. He did like making flower crowns though, so that made him a-okay in her book. She hoped that making some with them would cheer him up and bring back his colours, even if it was only a little bit. Then maybe he'd finally go to one of her parties! Her eighth birthday was coming up in a few months, and she really hoped that he would come this time.

She, Biggie and Creek sang about flowers on their way to Branch and Guy's pod. They didn't bother knocking, since the door was already open and Glitz had told them that they didn't have to, since they came by so often. When they walked in, they noticed Branch just laying on the floor like a sad lizard. He perked up slightly upon seeing them, and he pushed himself off the floor.

"Hi guys. What are you doing here?" He asked, sounding tired but not irritated. 

"Well, since you've decided coming out to play with us isn't happening anymore for some reason, we decided to bring the play to you." Creek explained.

Branch's tail flicked at that comment, but he still smiled at them. "Sounds great. What are we doing?" He questioned, getting up to grab some pillows for his friends to lay or sit on.

"Making fllllower crownsss!" Poppy sang, twirling around to reveal a basket that was hanging from her tail. She slid it onto the floor and took the top off, dozens of bright wildflowers popping up.

"Huh. You know what? That actually sounds fun!" Branch said, becoming a bit more awake. This activity was extremely low risk, as it didn’t really involve getting close to anyone, unless you were dropping a crown on their head or handing them a flower. 

The group settled down on their pillows as Poppy distributed the flowers. Once they all had some, they set to work, talking as they weaved stems together. Usually, this was a very calming, happy activity, but Branch was slowly becoming more and more annoyed as his claws got in the way. While Poppy, Biggie and Creek could use their claws to help make their crowns stronger by making the stems be weaved closer together, Branch found that his just got in the way. He growled in frustration as he realized that another thing he loved had now been made into a bothersome chore or a hazard. This use to be easy to him, and it made him happy to do it! What was he supposed to do now? He didn't dance, didn't sing, didn't hug, and now he supposed he didn't make flower crowns either.

Branch's ears flicked back as he snarled and ripped up his flower crown, startling his friends. He knew that he needed to calm down, but he didn't really know how, nor did he really want to. 

"Branch? Are you okay?" Poppy asked, unconsciously leaning away from the other trolling. 

"NO! I'M NOT ALRIGHT! LOOK AT ME! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ANYMORE WITHOUT IT HURTING SOMEONE OR DESTROYING SOMETHING!" He screamed, standing suddenly. His fangs were bared as he paced angrily, the claws on his feet digging into the floor of the pod. He grabbed his pillow, the one that he had made himself one winter night, and tore into it, fluff going everywhere.

The group slowly began backing away from Branch. They loved their friend but right now? Right now they were terrified of him. They had never seen anyone act this aggressive. Ever. Creek glanced around the room, looking for a sturdy object. He really didn't believe it would come to it, but if Branch turned his anger on them... he would defend himself. 

And, of course, his friends.

However, it wouldn't come to that, as Branch finally stopped, his chest heaving as he drew in deep breaths. He blinked a few times. Slowly, his ears dropped as he realized what he had done. He dropped the now ruined pillow, his paws flying to his mouth. He looked wide eyed at his friends, and physically cringed back as he saw their terrified expressions.  
"What, what have I done?" He whispered, his eyes becoming wet. "Oh Gods, I'm a monster." 

He backed up, tears soaking the fur around his eyes as he began to hyperventilate. Poppy stepped forward, about to try and get Branch to calm down, but she quickly backed up again when he shouted "NO!" at her.

"St-stay away from me, please." He begged, his body shaking. He gripped his ears, blood starting to drip down after a few seconds as his claws sunk into the weaker flesh "I don't, I don't want-" 

He choked on his tears and panic, his pupils little more than pinpricks. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I'm so so sorry. I, I..." 

He didn't finish his sentence, instead choosing to turn and run, disappearing as he leapt down off the branch just outside of his pod. The other trollings screamed and rushed out the door, hoping and praying to whoever or whatever was listening that they hadn't just witnessed their friend throw himself to his death.

Branch hit the bark with a thud, wasting no time as he recovered and raced towards the lower hanging branches. He needed to get away, far away from everyone so that he couldn't put them in danger anymore. What if it hadn't been his favorite pillow that he ripped to shreds? What if had been Mr. Dinkles? Or Poppy? Oh Ancestors, just the thought of hurting the beloved bubbly princess had Branch's stomach twisting itself into a knot. 

As he ran, he saw through tear blurred eyes that Glitz was returning home for lunch, Guy walking along beside him. The smaller Glitter Troll saw his adopted brother as he rushed by on a tree limb below them, and waved hello.

"Hi Branch!" Guy called, not realizing that something was wrong. 

"Branch?" Glitz questioned, looking down at where Guy was waving at. His eyes widened as Branch jumped down onto the low hanging branches, the ones that led to the forest. The dangerous, beast filled forest. 

"BRANCH!" He cried, panic gripping him as his eldest child dropped down onto the ground and vanished into the forest.

Guy suddenly realized that his big brother had just went into the Forbidden Place, the place where not even grown ups went because it was full of monsters, and he began to cry, becoming very afraid that Branch would get eaten by something. 

"Branch! Come back!" He yelled, his odd voice slightly warping his words.

The commotion had drawn some attention, and a few trolls approached the fear stricken father and son. Peppy was among them, as was Cooper. 

"Glitz, what happened?" He asked as Cooper tried to get Guy to calm down, letting the young Glitter Troll cry into his fur.

"Branch! He, he ,he just ran into the forest! WHY WOULD HE GO IN THERE HE KNOWS HOW DANGEROUS IT IS!" He yelled, gripping his hair as his breaths started to become more shallow.

"Whoa! Easy, Glitz. You can't help Branch if you pass out. Now, can you think of anywhere he might go?" Peppy asked, gripping his friend by the shoulders.

"No! He hates the forest, I can't think of a single reason why he would go in there. Oh Gods why did he go in there?!" Glitz sobbed.

The sound of small feet quickly approaching broke the tense silence. Gazes turned towards the tree limb were Branch had been moments ago. Biggie, Poppy and Creek were sprinting towards the forest entrance as they called to their fleeing friend. 

“BRANCH! BRANCH COME BACK!” Creek cried, his eyes watering.

Peppy and Iris jumped down in front of them. Poppy and Biggie skidded to a stop, but Creek just narrowed his eyes and tried to dodge them. Fortunately, Iris managed to grab him and tuck him under her arm before he could get himself killed by dashing into the woods without any way to defend himself.

"Hey! Let me go!" He yelled, his tail lashing around as he squirmed, nearly knocking Iris over.

"Jeez, chill out kid. Aren't you supposed to be the calm one?" She murmured.

"NOT WHEN I'M BEING HELD LIKE A BUNDLE OF STICKS!" He snapped, a few tears hitting the bark beneath him. 

Iris waited until he was all out of fight before putting him down. He backed up to stand with his friends, a look of displeasure on his face as he glared at both Peppy and Iris.

"Children, what happened to Branch?" Peppy asked, kneeling so that he was eye level with them.

Poppy shuffled forward. "Well, he hasn't really been out to play with us in about two weeks, so we went to go visit him and everything was fine at first. We were making flower crowns and then he just snapped! He was shouting about not being able to do anything without hurting someone or destroying something. Then he tore up a pillow before he realized what he was doing. He got really scared, i think of himself? And he said he was sorry, that, that he didn't want to hurt us." She sniffed, wiping away a few tears. "But he never hurt anyone! Not on purpose! Even when he was really mad he only went for things that are... well, things! But not us, never ever! And then, and then he just ran away!" 

She was starting to cry again, so Peppy pulled his daughter into a hug, rubbing her back gently. 

"There, there sweetheart. I know Branch would never intentionally harm anyone, he's as gentle as they come. But you have to understand, he isn't... as safe as your other friends. He doesn't mean to be dangerous, but he is not like you, me or anyone else in our village. He's... different." He said, his eyes briefly flicking over to somewhere on the horizon before returning to look at Poppy.

"Different? Different how?" She sniffed, cocking her head slightly.

Peppy sighed and patted her on the head. "I'll tell you when you're older. For now, I want you all to go and stay with Glitz. He and Guy could use some friendly company right now. I'm going to go find Branch."

He nodded at Iris, who nodded back and began ushering the trollings and Mr. Dinkles back up to where Glitz and Guy were. Peppy jumped and grabbed a twisting vine, climbing his way up to the higher levels of the village. Once he was near his pod, he swung and jumped over, landing on one of the small bridges that led from the walking paths to their homes. He hurried into his pod, the sunlight turning pink as he entered its rosy walls.

He went straight for a chest tucked into a corner by his bed. It was old and worn, but the royal Pop Tribe symbol shone brightly as the gold it was made from gleamed in the dimmed lighting. He opened it, taking a moment to look at its contents. 

Old scrapbooks and slightly dusty photos lay inside, a picture of beautiful pink troll with light blue hair smiling brightly here, another of two expecting parents holding a colourful egg there. But beneath the fond memories and records of nearly forgotten history lay the object he had been searching for. A well crafted spear, its tip still sharp from lack of use, tight bindings of aged leather keeping the sharpened stone in place. Hearts and swirls were lightly carved into the sturdy wood handle, the symbols most associated with their tribe.

It was half of a pair, its partner long since lost when his late wife, Queen Hyacinth, had used it to defend their unhatched daughter from a horrible bergen who thought that Troll eggs might make a good snack. He had heard the story from Ash, one of the royal guards who had been helping her guard her egg while he had been digging the escape tunnels. She had thrown her spear right into the bergen's eye and commanded Ash to take Poppy's egg and run. She had, but she had stayed long enough to see her beloved Queen get snatched up by the vengeful bergen. That morning had been the last time Peppy had seen his wife.

He hadn't even had time to mourn the loss of his beloved for more than a few days when Ash and her partner, Twig, had been caught too, defending a group of trollings who had fallen onto an exposed branch. He could still remember their faces right as they had jumped down to fight, Ash with her spear and Twig with his bow. They had shown no fear or hesitation as they charged towards a battle they knew they wouldn't win. It still amazed Peppy to this day that such a timid, gentle troll could wield such a difficult to master weapon with the grace Twig had.

Shaking his head, he cleared away memories of long lost loved ones and focused on what was happening right now. Branch could be in danger, he didn't have time to reminisce. He grabbed the spear and shut the chest, tucking the weapon into his hair as he set out to find the missing trolling.

Branch collapsed by a bubbling brook, his sides heaving as he took in deep breaths. He dipped his head and drank the cool water until his stomach hurt, small drops of blood occasionally getting washed downstream as they fell from the puncture marks on his ears from where he had clawed himself. Once he was satisfied, he rolled over, his damp cheeks pressing into the warm grass. A beam of sunlight shone down onto him, and although it warmed him, he still shivered, his body not really obeying him as he recovered from his panic attack. His ears flicked back as he realized that he had just ran away from the only source of safety he had ever known into the one place he had always been told to avoid. 

Something whispered in his mind, cruel sounding as it told him that this is where he belonged. After all, it was monsters that lived in the woods, and isn't that what he had called himself? Isn't that what he knew he really was? What he had always been?

'Look at yourself,' it said, 'you are nothing like them. Trolls don't have pointed ears and huge claws and wicked fangs. Those are traits of a horrible monster, a creature that knows only how to hurt.'

"That's not true." He said to himself, trying to block out the voice.

'Just look at your reflection.' It growled. Branch obeyed and turned his head back to the water. 'Now, does that look like anyone you know? Not even fully grown trolls look like you. Face it, you are a freak of nature.'

He believed it. He believed it all. Because staring back at him was something that looked nothing like the people he'd grown up around. He thought about Creek's calming voice and Poppy's radiant smile. He thought about soft Biggie’s paws were despite their size and about how Glitz would never scratch Guy because he could control his claws. He thought about how truly alone he was. 

His eyes slowly began to lose their colour as he gave into the whispers. Then, he remembered something. He moved his paw to his pocket and retrieved the ring he had been given years ago. Trollex, despite having sharp claws and teeth and eyes that glowed in the darkness, was still a Troll. Glowing markings and gills sounded like monster traits, but really those were the traits of a friend. 

The whispers became silent and colour returned to his eyes as he grit his teeth and decided that, despite how he looked, he wasn't a monster. He wasn't the same as the other trolls, that was certain, but he wasn't a vicious beast either. He could learn, learn to use his claws and strength for good, and then maybe he could go home and hug his brother and his Dad and play with his friends again. But not yet, not until he knew that they would be safe from him. He was no monster, but he was dangerous. 

Until the day came when he felt like he was no longer a threat to them, in the woods he would stay. He figured he'd get used to it. Eventually. But until then, he needed a new home. He couldn't build a pod, that took to long and he wouldn't know how to make it safe to live in. He scratched absentmindedly at the dirt as he thought about what he could do. He glanced around, and spotted a small burrow. The idea struck him like a lightning bolt. A burrow! He could live underground! No safer place than beneath the earth.

He had to admit, the idea of an underground home sounded way safer than Pop Village. The parties were always too loud and no one aside from Glitz seemed concerned about predators, or worse, bergens, hearing them. Every time Poppy and Guy would be out singing, he couldn't help but have violent flashbacks to the moment his grandmother had been taken. And seeing that sight everyday for the past few years was really starting to affect his sleep and his overall health. He just wished that he could make others see things the way he did.

Branch got to his feet, stretching out his sore limbs. He needed rest, but he had to make a safe place first. He wandered around, turning his hair into a dark, dull green so that he looked more like a leaf and less like a delicious snack. Eventually, he found a large, abandoned burrow near some rocks. He had to dig to make it big enough for him, but that didn't bother Branch. He liked to dig, and he was good at it. Once he had dug enough that he could stand up on all fours and turn around in a circle, he lay down, the cool earth feeling nice on his aching muscles. He would need to risk going out near sundown or at night to look for food, but for now, he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

King Peppy considered himself to be brave, but even he felt fear creep through him as he followed a path of trampled leaves and the occasional broken plant. He had been walking for almost half an hour, and he felt hopeful when he heard the sound of rushing water ahead. Perhaps Branch had stopped here?

He moved forward into a small clearing, a few beams of sunlight dotting the calm area. It was actually pretty nice in this part of the forest, the animals around being mostly friendly. He noticed a few stray blood droplets on the grass and followed them as best he could. They led to an area near a large tree with a few rocks around it. He peered up at the tree, looking for any signs of a trolling hiding on one of the branches.

"Branch? Branch are you up there?" He called, his ears pricking forward. 

Movement next to him had Peppy grabbing his spear from his hair and pointing it at the mouth of a recently dug burrow where two wide, frightened eyes greeted him. A small squeak of fear escaped the critter and it shrunk back. Peppy crouched down and looked inside. The darkness made it hard to see, but once he saw the large scar on the animal's leg, he realized that he had found who he had been looking for.

"Branch, there you are! I've been looking all over for you. Your friends and family are worried sick about you, so come on out so we can get back before dark." He said softly, reaching a paw out.

"No." Branch said, not taking the king's paw.

"What do you mean no? Branch, don't be foolish. You can't stay out here." Peppy said, not understanding why Branch would ever _want_ to stay out here.

"Yes I can, and I will until I know that I won't hurt anyone." Branch replied.

"Branch, you're not going to hurt anyone. Now come on out."

"You don't know that! I'm not like you guys and you know it!" Branch snapped, backing up further. "What if hurt Poppy? What then?" 

Peppy's ears flicked back momentarily. He wouldn't admit it, but the thought had crossed his mind when he realized that Branch was growing up to be far different than anyone else. He shook his head, trying to reassure both Branch and himself that the gray trolling was not a threat.

"Branch, you would never-" 

"Hurt her on purpose? No, i wouldn't. But if I've learned anything, its that accidents happen, and when it comes to me, they're usually pretty bad accidents." He sighed, his ears drooping. "I don't like the idea of being alone, but I can't stay there anymore. I need to learn how to be less like a monster and more like everyone else." He said, looking at his claws.

Peppy felt his heart break a little. "No one thinks you're a monster." He said, his voice soft.

"But they do think there's something wrong with me." Branch said. "They don't think I can hear them, but I do. I know people talk about me behind my back, about how I'm not going to be safe to be around much longer."

"Who said that?" Peppy asked, feeling angry that someone would say that. There was nothing wrong with Branch, he was always going to be different, and everyone who knew his parents knew that. Peppy had just not known how different he would end up being.

"It doesn't matter, because they're right. I'm going to get much bigger and stronger in a few years, and when that happens i want to know that I am everything they all think I can't be. I'll fix myself, you'll see." Branch said, smiling sadly at his king.

Peppy sighed, knowing that this was a battle he would not win. "You don't need to fix anything about yourself, Branch. But I must insist you come back to the village with me. Your father or your friends will get themselves killed trying to find you themselves in these woods if you don't. Your idea of learning to control your more dangerous aspects is admirable and an idea I agree with, but please, choose a place closer to home and pack some supplies. And don't even think about leaving without explaining your choice and saying goodbye."

Branch didn't speak for a moment, before nodding his head and crawling out of his burrow. He shook of the dirt that had been clinging to his fur. He followed Peppy as they cautiously maneuvered their way back home. The forest seemed much scarier when you weren’t running in a blind panic, and he found himself beginning to regret his decisions as growls and shrieks rang out from deeper into the woods, where the sunlight could break through the dense canopy. But it felt like it was too late to back out now, so he put on a brave face and tried to pretend like he wasn’t terrified. 

When they returned, Glitz, Guy, Creek, Poppy, Cooper and Biggie were all waiting for him. It had been Cooper who had spotted them first, and he had excitedly pointed them out to the others. Guy sprang from his place on Cooper’s back and sprinted down to meet them, tackling Branch once he was close enough, causing the older trolling to stumble slightly. He sobbed into his brother’s chest, unable to speak. 

Creek reached him next, throwing his arms around Branch and hugging him tight, Poppy not far behind him, leaping like Guy had and sending the group backwards. They ended up in a pile, all of them crying now. Branch felt guilt surge through his body as he realized how much his disappearance had affected his friends. How was he going to explain that he wasn’t here to stay?

Once Poppy, Guy and Creek had released him, Biggie gave him a bone crushing hug, the gentle giant crying just as hard as the others had been. Cooper had given him a hug as well, but he didn’t know Branch as well as the others did. He still cared though, he liked Branch and was relieved that something hadn’t gotten him.

Finally, Branch looked up at Glitz, who said nothing. Instead, his eyes filled with tears as he pulled his adopted son into a warm hug, trying to repress sobs as he held onto him tightly. Branch’s heart broke into a thousand pieces as he heard his father cry because of him, and he pressed his head into Glitz’s chest. He had never meant to hurt anyone by leaving, that had been exactly what he was trying to prevent! But now he had to hurt them all over again so that he couldn’t hurt them. 

How horrible was that?

After what felt like forever and a half, Branch pulled away, stepping back as he wiped at his eyes, the fur around them damp with tears.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry.” He sniffed, trying to stop any more tears from falling.

“Oh Branch, I don’t even care about what happened before. I’m just so glad that you’re okay, and that you’re home.” Glitz said, smiling reassuringly at Branch. His friends nodded in agreement. Guy latched onto his leg, his small body shaking as he nodded as well.

Oh Gods this was going to hurt.

“About that…” He started, trying to find the right words. “King Peppy and I had a talk when he found me and… we decided that I should stay away from the village until I can learn to not be dangerous.” 

Branch swore that you would need a battleaxe to cut the tension his words had created. The faces that had once been full of happiness and relief had been filled with confusion. There was complete silence, until Creek laughed.

“Okay, I’ve heard some good jokes before, but that has to be the best one!” He said, a few previously unshed tears falling as he chuckled.

Branch looked his best friend straight in the eyes but said nothing, letting his pained expression speak for him. Creek’s laughter slowly tapered off as a horrified expression came onto his face as he realized that Branch wasn’t joking.

“Oh Gods. You. You. What?” He stammered, going pale under his fur.

A deep growl had all heads snapping towards Glitz. The elder Glitter Troll’s teeth were bared and his claws were extended. Branch shrunk back, afraid that his father’s ire was on him. However, he wasn’t looking at Branch, but beyond him, straight at King Peppy, who was now holding his hands up.

“Glitz, wait-!” 

He didn’t get to finish his sentence before Glitz snarled and pounced on him, the two rolling before Glitz pinned the king under him. Branch and the other trollings instinctively formed a huddle and moved back as far as they could, pressing themselves into the wood and camouflaging themselves as they stared wide-eyed at the fight that had broken out.

“10 YEARS PEPPY! 10 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO? YOU PROMISED THEM THAT WE WOULD KEEP HIM SAFE!” Glitz roared, shaking the king.

“We- we had no idea he would inherit-”  
“BULLSHIT! YOU AND I KNEW THAT THERE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A RISK! SO HE’S A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER KIDS, ARE YOU JUST GOING TO SEND HIM OUT TO DIE?!”

“It was his decision! He wants to keep you safe!”

“THAT’S _MY_ JOB! HE’S 10 PEPPY! 10! HE IS NOT DANGEROUS!”

“HE WILL BE GLITZ! UNLESS HE LEARNS TO CONTROL HIMSELF HE’LL ALWAYS BE A THREAT!”

Glitz picked Peppy up off the ground and threw him away from him. He was breathing hard and his fur was puffed up as far as it could go. If glares could kill, Peppy would have been long dead. The king righted himself and glared right back, his ears pressed back.

“It’s already been decided. I suggest you teach him as much as you can before he leaves.” He said coldly. “I’m sorry Glitz, but it’s for the best.”

“If you have any respect for me, any at all, you’ll never come near me or my family again.” Glitz spat, turning away from Peppy. He looked over to where the kids had once been, only to find them cowering on the edge of the branch, Iris and Sunny standing near them, the two women having come outside once they heard the fight start. Iris stepped forward.

“Glitz? Are you okay? Because if you aren’t, you are not coming near the kids.” She said, standing in front of the trollings.

Glitz just looked at her, his face tired and sad. “I would never hurt them Iris. I just want to get my sons and _go home._ ” He said, his voice scratchy from all the yelling.

Iris gave him a sympathetic nod and turned to Sunny, who went over hand whispered comforting words to the petrified children. Slowly, she managed to coax them out of their tight-knit huddle, and Branch and Guy slowly approached Glitz, not entirely sure if their Dad was done being enraged. They had never witnessed such violence, and Branch felt even more guilty, feeling as though he had just caused his father to lose his best friend. 

Glitz knelled an opened his arms, not making a move to try and pull them into a hug. Guy jumped into his Dad’s arms, while Branch hesitated, still wondering if Glitz was going to snap at him too. Glitz just looked at Branch with pleading eyes, and the gray trolling followed his brother, tucking himself into Glitz’s chest. The eldest male stood, his two children in his arms. Sunny gathered up the other kids, who protested, wanting to be with their friend, to take them home while Iris walked with Glitz, not wanting her friend to have to be alone after such an explosive fight. She and Sunny hadn’t heard the entire thing, but they had heard enough to piece together what was happening. She gently pet Branch’s hair, her ears drooping as she realized that she wouldn’t be seeing him anymore soon.

By the time they had reached Glitz’s pod, the two trolling had silently cried themselves to sleep. Guy put them to bed before sitting on a chair next to Iris, his head in his paws.

“This whole thing is bullshit. Branch would never hurt anyone, the kid’s like a marshmallow that tries to convince everyone he’s really a storm cloud.” Iris said, handing Glitz a glass of berry juice.

Glitz sighed, rubbing the scars around his left eye. He had been only a year older than Branch when he had lost his eye, and it was only his knowledge of first aid that had saved him from dying of an infection before he could get medical help. Branch didn’t have that knowledge, nor did he know how to hunt, how to use his hair as a weapon, how to know which berries were safe to eat and which would cause you to blow up like a balloon. 

“The king’s word is law. Branch is going to be gone soon, but I need to make sure he knows how to take care of himself. Iris, I know you’re busy with handling the Woofer Bugs, but-”

“Of course I’ll help you. That kid’s going to need all the help he can get.” Iris said, cutting him off.

“Don’t I know it.” He whispered, taking a drink of his berry juice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was a long one!
> 
> Do you guys think Peppy is justified in his decision? Or do you side with Glitz? Let me know!
> 
> Oh, and if you're interested, i made an animatic for a future scene in this fic ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGfsCro8WfQ
> 
> spoiler warning tho!


	7. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has arrived.

For the next week, Branch had daily lessons with Glitz and Iris. 

Glitz taught him as much medical information as he could, like how to clean and dress a wound, what berries would serve as a disinfectant, how to make water safe to drink, how to preform CPR, and how to save someone who was choking, just in case. 

Iris taught him how to start a fire, how to track, kill and gut small critters, how to wield a bow, and what berries you could eat without dying.

When he wasn’t learning with his Dad or training with Iris, he was with his friends and brother, spending what precious time they had together exploring, playing games, or just talking. None of them ever brought up the day Branch would be leaving, as though even mentioning it would make it come faster. 

Poppy spent more time with them now, as she was trying to avoid her father. Branch had tried to convince her not to be mad at him, that it had been his choice, but she stubbornly persisted, saying that it wasn’t true what he had said about Branch being dangerous. 

Branch had merely sighed in defeat and suggested that they play another game, trying to change the topic of their conversation. 

However, Glitz and King Peppy’s fight never quite left their minds, and even though none of them said it aloud, they were all wondering what the words said during their argument had meant.

Finally the day came. It was a damp, cloudy morning, the sun just barely starting to light the sky. Branch awoke earlier than usual, as if his body instinctively knew what day it was. He grabbed the bag he had packed a few days ago and put it on his back. Then he went to where his father was sleeping and paused. 

He considered leaving right now, without saying anything, but quickly remembered what had happened the last time he disappeared. He shook Glitz awake, whispering . 

“Dad, wake up.”

Glitz made a noise of tired acknowledgement, rolling over to look at whoever was shaking him. When he saw that it was Branch, he sat up. He saw the bag on his son’s back and the sad look on his face and immediately understood. He sighed and got out of the hammock he had been sleeping in. While Branch grabbed a berry to eat for breakfast, Glitz gently roused Guy so that they could take Branch to the forest’s edge. 

While his son’s enjoyed one last breakfast together, Glitz quickly informed Branch’s friend’s, aside from King Peppy, parents that today was the day. Soon, Biggie, Mr. Dinkles, Creek and Poppy were waiting for Branch to come out of his pod.

Creek had fetched Poppy himself, as he knew she’d hate him if he didn’t. Well, maybe not hate, he didn’t really think she had it in her to hate anybody, but she would be really upset, and he didn’t want that.

Together, the group walked in tense silence. Usually, a group of kids would be singing and playing, but no joy was to be seen on their faces or heard in their voices today. Guy seemed the most upset, the young Glitter Troll holding tight to his big brother’s hand and often blinking his eyes, trying to stop himself from crying. 

The forest loomed far above them, dark and foreboding in the dim, pale light of the gray morning. Branch felt a shiver run through him, and it took a great deal of effort not to turn around and tell his Dad that he wanted to go home. 

Instead, he turned around and got a good look at the people who were the glue holding his life together. Their eyes were shiny from the wetness of tears yet to be shed. He swallowed hard, not knowing what to say.

“Well,” He started. “I guess this is it.” 

“It doesn’t have to be. You could always stay.” Glitz tried, his expression just bordering on hopeful.

“You know I can’t Dad.” Branch said softly.

Glitz nodded, letting the tears fall as he pulled his son into a tight hug. Branch hugged back, feeling his own tears start. 

He hugged Guy next, being careful not to let his claws even brush by his brother’s fur. The young trolling latched onto him and started sobbing loudly, not being able to hold it back any longer. Branch let him cry, not even being able to imagine pushing him away. After a good five minutes, Guy stepped back, his hiccups warped by his strange voice.

After Guy, Biggie practically smothered him to death. Once he released Branch, he pulled out a box from a satchel that was slung around his shoulder.

“Here, me and Mr. Dinkles made these for you. Its those chokeberry tarts you like so much.” He said, sniffing slightly as he tried not to cry while speaking.

“Really? Thank you Biggie, thank you Mr. Dinkles.” Branch replied, taking the box.

“Mew.” Mr. Dinkles said sadly.

Creek and Poppy both hugged him at the same time, neither one willing to wait any longer. Poppy cried into his stomach, while Creek pressed his face into Branch’s chest, his body trembling. Branch finally broke down and pulled them into the tightest hug he could manage. 

“I’m sorry. I love you guys and I wish I didn’t have to be like this.” He whimpered. 

"But it really doesn't! Just stay, Branch!" Poppy wept, her ears as far down as they could go.

"You don't know how much I want to. If i didn't believe that this was what's best for you, for everyone, I wouldn't leave." Branch replied, forcing himself to move away from his friends.

"Are, are you still coming to my birthday party? Or Creek's? His is just after mine." Poppy asked, sniffling.

"I... don't think I'll be going to any parties anymore." Branch said, not being able to meet her hopeful gaze. He couldn't bare to see the look of disappointment he knew was now on her face.

"Oh." He heard her say, her voice heartwrenchingly sad. Then, she was in his face, a determined look in her watery eyes.

"You know what? You're still getting invited to my party, and every one I throw after. One day, we're gonna see you there and it will be so great, we'll throw another party to celebrate." She stated, her tone having a sense of finality to it.

Branch was stunned for a moment, but then he shook his head. "Poppy, the forest is too dangerous for you to be coming in just to give me an invitation."

Poppy shook her head right back, her famous stubbornness rearing it's head. "There is nothing in that forest scary enough to keep me from reminding you as often as possible that we want you to come back home." She insisted.

Branch made a surprised noise, before his face scrunched up as he felt more tears form. He gave Poppy another hug, ignoring the side of him that hated being touched. The princess hugged him back, her soft hair tickling his nose.

After a few more seconds had passed, he gently pushed her away, stepping back to face the rest of his loved ones. They looked sad, of course, but also accepting of his choice.

"It's not forever." He reminded them. "Just until it's safe. Until _I_ am safe."

With that, he readjusted his bag and, with one last glance back, set off into the darkness.

Behind him, Glitz let the last of his tears fall, a bit of his colour and sparkle following the droplet as it dropped of his chin.

"Oh Branch." He whispered, hugging Guy tightly. "There are too many things to be afraid of in life already. Don't go through it afraid of yourself."


	8. Of Heatwaves and Odd Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been 4 years since anybody has actually seen Branch, but Poppy hopes that he's there, just hiding. Now, she needs to hope that her hoping is enough because she has a major problem and Branch might just be the only one with a solution.

For the next 4 years, nobody saw hide nor hair of Branch. It was 4 years of forced smiles and long nights spent looking out at the dark forest that surrounded their homes for Branch's family and friends.

Poppy still threw parties, of course, she had to invite Branch to _something_ after all. But they were fewer and far between, and didn't quite hold the same level of vibrant, jovial excitement as before. The young troll missed her friend dearly, and every time there was an event or party, despite her father telling her not to, she would venture into the woods to fulfill her promise to Branch. Creek always came with her, both to protect her and to try and see one of his best friends. They found his den, or his lair as they called it, but never the trolling who had built it. Occasionally, they would hear rustling in the tree branches above them, but nothing more. She never gave up though, even if a little fragment of her hope died every time she left a handmade invitation at the mouth of a hole in the ground.

Creek threw himself into his meditation and yoga to try and forget about loosing his best friend. Whenever he didn't need to do something else, he could be found in a beam of sunlight somewhere, doing some kind of stretch or pose. He didn't play with the other kids much anymore, save for Biggie, Guy, Poppy, and the small group of other trollings that the princess had deemed to be her best friends. There was Smidge, a small yet fierce yellow trolling with the deepest voice he had ever heard, Suki, a troll who was blessed with the ability to make a good beat out of anything, Cooper, who he already knew but hadn't really known well, Satin and Chenille, the twins who's hair made them inseparable, literally, and Fuzbert, who Creek though was a troll, but he wasn't quite sure sometimes. When he was meditating, he found that critters were attracted to his still form and calming aura. Little Glow Bugs and Hover Beetles would come and tickle him with their little legs until he caved in and pet them, and even the occasional Swag Stag would cautiously approach him. 

Biggie started branching out more, and soon took up painting and poetry as hobbies. Now on top of baking with his mother and father, he would go outside with Mr. Dinkles and paint whatever he saw in front of him. Sometimes it was the sunrise or sunset, sometimes it was his friends, or a cool leaf. His best poems came to him at night, however, but he seldom shared them with anyone aside from Mr. Dinkles. They were... darker and sadder in nature than most people would have liked, as he based them off what little memory he had from his time in the Troll Tree, as well as the noises he sometimes heard come from the woods on especially quiet nights. He had shared one about the forest with Creek one time, but all it had done was make them both sad. Sometimes, when he was making treats for his friends, he'd catch himself grabbing the ingredients for chokeberry tarts. None of them liked chokeberry tarts.

Guy focused mostly on perfecting his singing with Poppy to try and not think about his absent brother, while Glitz, who had become more protective of his son, poured his time into expanding his medical knowledge. He didn't get out as much as he used to, and he stopped attending parties, especially the ones where King Peppy was present. If it had just been him, if he hadn't needed to worry about Guy, the elder Diamond would have packed his things and followed Branch into the forest. But he did need to worry, so he stayed in the village, glad that he had built his pod near the outskirts. Some nights felt like they would never end, and it was on those nights that his thoughts usually down a darker path. He found himself wondering if Branch was even still alive, or if some horrific beast had torn him apart as soon as he had stepped out of sight. He didn't dare to sleep during those nights, lest he permit his mind to create nightmares from his worries.

All in all, life went on, albeit a bit slower and less cheerfully for some. Some villagers began to think that they would never see the odd gray trolling who used to babysit their pups again. But that changed one summers day, during the worst heatwave anyone could remember...

It was a gorgeous summer day. The sun shone brighter than ever and the forest was aglow with light. 

Poppy hated it.

It was so hot that the leaves on the trees had started to wilt, leaving the trolls more and more exposed everyday. The heat only ever ceased well after the sun went down, and everyone was miserable. To make things worse, it wasn't even a dry kind of heat. No, the air was as humid as can be, and her fur and hair were suffering for it. She hadn't thrown a party in days, but honestly? She didn't care. No one could even dream of hugging right now, let alone party.

Creek was faring even worse than she was, what with his extra fur and choice of clothes. The purple troll whined as he gave up on trying to meditate, the unrelenting heat making it impossible to focus. 

"Poppy, I am going to shave my fur off. I don't even care anymore." He said, lying down on the thick tree branch next to her.

"I know how you feel." She groaned, rolling over slightly so that the sun wasn't directly in her eyes. "Why is it so HOT?"

"That is it! The yoga pants are coming off!" He said, starting to kick his sunshine coloured pants off.

"Creek, we may be friends, but if you get undressed in public where kids could see you, I will shove you off this branch myself." She said, her untamed fur hiding her slight blush.

"But Poppy! It's sooo hot!" Creek gasped.

"I know. It's been almost a week now, and this heat doesn't seem like it's going anywhere anytime soon." She winced under the harsh glare of the sun. "But it's not us I'm worried about, it's all the pups and the younger trollings." 

"What do you mean? What's wrong with them?" Creek asked, rolling over onto his stomach to look at the princess.

"Its this heat, they can't handle it, especially the little ones. Two of them have had to go to the doctor's already, but there's not much Dr. Plimsy can do. If this heatwave doesn't end soon..." She trailed off, letting Creek come to his own conclusion.

"So what are you going to do?" He asked, looking at where the medical pod was.

"I don't know. I was hoping that you might have some ideas." She replied, sounding hopeful.

Creek shook his head weakly. "Sorry Poppy, but this heat has fried my brain. Maybe we could keep them in the river until nighttime?" 

Poppy groaned and rubbed her eyes. "That won't work. The current is too strong right now."

"Then I've got nothing."

Poppy growled in frustration, rising to stand on all fours. Creek raised his head slightly, confused.  
"Poppy, where are you going?" He asked.

"To see Branch. He's there, I know he is, since the invitations are always gone the next time we visit. Maybe he'll know what to do."

"What? Poppy, that's insane! Besides, how do you know he's even going to be home, assuming that he does live in that hole and the invitations weren't just blown away by the wind."

"I thought about that. I think he stays either in his den or way up in the branches of that big tree so that we don't see him, because we've heard that rustling noise all those times, remember? Plus, we never see anything dangerous, so I think he's been watching us when we visit and making sure we don't get hurt. Besides, I weighed one of the invitations one time, the one for the New Moon Festival I think, and when we went to give him the invite to my 11th birthday, it was gone." 

Creek managed to stagger to his four paws as well, looking positively miserable. "Okay. Let's try it. Maybe we'll get lucky this time."

Poppy frowned at the state of the usually well composed troll who was now wobbling before her. "No Creek. You need to go home and get out of the sun before you end up in the medical pod too. I'll go find Branch." 

He tried to protest, but when his his next step had him stumbling sideways, he conceded.

"Fine. But be careful Poppy. You have no idea what's waiting for you in those woods." He warned. Poppy smiled confidently.

"I have some idea."

The shade that the forest provided was nothing but welcome to Poppy as she made her way to Branch's home. The sound of rushing water made her increase her pace, and soon she was in a rather familiar clearing. As she had come to expect, there was no sign of Branch. That did little to deter her as she walked up to the entrance to his home. She took a deep breath.

"Branch? Branch are you there? I really need your help right now." She paused. "If you're there, can you give me a sign so that I know I’m not just talking to empty air?"

Silence. Then, the slightest creaking of wood, like something was shifting in the branches above her. Through one of the gaps in the leaves, she caught the briefest glimpse of a flash of gray.

'There you are.' She thought, sighing in relief.

"Thank you. Anyways, it's about this heatwave. The pups and youngest trollings can't survive this heat. Some of them have already had to go see Dr. Plimsy and your Dad. It's bad and only getting worse and I don't know what to do!" She said, her voice rising slightly at the end as she started to get upset. She stopped to collect herself, then asked "Do you have any ideas? Because I'm open to suggestions."

Only the sound of distant birdsong greeted her ears, and Poppy sighed sadly. 

"Right. You don't talk to us anymore. Sorry for bothering you, Branch." She said, turning back the way she came.

Once she was out of earshot, a dark figure dropped down out of the tree. Branch looked longingly at where Poppy had once been standing. He looked up at the blistering, unrelenting sun and groaned, already knowing what he was about to do. He had promised himself that he wouldn't go back until he was no longer dangerous, but this was an emergency. Those kids would likely die unless he did something, and something was exactly what he planned on doing.

He flipped a secret lever, revealing the true entrance to his underground bunker. In 4 years he had managed to dig out a massive space that he then proceeded to fill with provisions and traps. It was impressive, and he was proud of it. He was working on an elevator system, but for now he had to use a ladder. He began filling a knapsack with a few supplies. He packed a few soft blankets made of cotton, a couple jars of fresh water, and 3 bundles of sun dried strawberries and salted nuts. He set it aside on his workbench as he grabbed a sheet of paper. With a piece of charcoal in one hand, Branch got to work.

It was dark when Branch crept over to the roots of the biggest tree in the village. His ears swiveled around, but other than the sounds of critters that always accompanied the setting of the sun, he couldn’t detect any signs that anyone other than him was awake, everyone likely taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and finally getting some sleep. He set his knapsack down and pulled out the sketch he had drawn up earlier. His eyesight was unhindered by the darkness of the night, and he glanced over the plan he had created, memorizing it. Once he was satisfied, he put the paper away and began to dig, his claws making quick work of the dry earth.

After a few minutes of furious digging, he was elbow deep in a hole. He stopped and focused on making it wider, his back paws ripping up small roots and dislodging rocks. He repeated this process for hours, well into the night. When he finally finished, he flopped onto the dying grass outside of the hole he had dug, or rather, the den.  
It had been difficult, especially with the enormous roots of the tree, but he had managed to create a safe place where the youngest members of the village could stay during the dangerously hot daylight hours. The main chamber’s floor was lined with cotton blankets and the secondary chamber held the food and water he had brought. It was nowhere near the size of his bunker, but it was nothing to scoff at either. He was proud of his work, and it saddened him to know that he wouldn’t be there to see how happy the little trollings would be to have a cool place to play and rest.

Rolling over, he grabbed the nearly empty knapsack and stretched his aching limbs. He grimaced at the climb he had ahead of him. Branch was hot and sore and he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for a day or two, but he still had one more thing he had to do. Readjusting the bag on his back, he jumped up and clawed his way up onto a tree branch. When he was younger, his claws had been more curved and this task would have been easy. But they were now far more suited to digging and scratching instead of climbing and gripping. He hauled himself up, cursing quietly as he finally managed to get himself up and onto a branch near the center of the tree.  
His gaze turned towards a pink pod that was decorated with blue flowers and sparkles that shimmered faintly in the moonlight. Like a stalking predator, he crouched and silently crept up to the closed pod, not wanting to awaken the sleeping troll inside. Once he was close enough, he risked a glance into the entrance, looking around. 

Sleeping soundly on a soft bed was the very same troll who had come to him for help earlier. Poppy had kicked off the thin sheet that she had been using as a blanket and her long tail draped onto the floor. Her vibrant hair was tied back in a bun to keep it off her neck while she slept. Her fur, which was always smooth and soft looking whenever he saw her on her delivery trips, was matted slightly with sweat, much like his own coat. He noticed that, like him, she had almost lost all of her pup spots, since she no longer needed them to help her hide. 

It was odd seeing her right in front of him again, no leaves present to block his sight as he used them to hide. He thought briefly about how her 12th birthday was coming up, and that he really should bring her a gift this year. Then he heard the spine-chilling voice of his inner thoughts. 

‘Oh? And what gift would you give her? A dead bird? Great idea, show her how gruesome you are so that she never wants to be around you again, if she even wants to be around you now. You haven’t exactly been the most pleasant troll to talk to.’

‘Shut up.’ Branch thought, shaking his head. But like most of the times when the voice spoke, its words worked their way into his mind. He really had become more vicious over the years. Little bugs and berries no longer sated his hunger, so he had taken to going after larger, smarter critters. Iris had only taught him how to hunt the bugs that lived in the trees near their village, the ones that most trolls ate, so he had needed to teach himself how to take down the bigger creatures. He felt guilty every time he hunted, so he only did so when he was close to starving.

He took another piece of paper out of the knapsack, this one smaller than the one that held the design for the den he had made. He quietly stepped halfway inside the princess’s pod and left it on her small sketchbook table. After he made sure it wouldn’t get blown away, he took his leave, retreating back to his underground home. 

Before he left, however, something nagged at him to check up on his father and brother. So he made his way to the edge of the village and stopped in front of a sliver pod. He stepped in, taking in the familiar sights and sounds of his old home. 

Guy was sprawled out on a few pillows near the entrance, his fur being softly blown by a faint breeze. One of the pillows was dangerously close to slipping out from under him, so Branch gently nudged it back into place with his hind paw. He spotted his father sleeping in his hammock, the elder Glitter Troll looking tired and worn down. Branch’s ears drooped down when he realized that his father no longer glittered as much as he used to, and that the once vibrant green of his nose was now a few shades duller.

‘Did I cause this?’ Branch wondered, feeling guilt rise in him. 

He shook his head rapidly, trying to blink back tears as well as block out the negative thoughts that suddenly assaulted him. He quickly left his childhood home, leaping from branch to branch as he descended. He ran the entire way back to his bunker, ripping through any plant that got in his way as he tried to silence the negative thoughts that wouldn’t leave him alone. 

Once he got to his clearing, he threw himself into the cool stream and stayed there until his paws were numb and his mind was clear. Then he retried to his bed, which was really just a nest of leaves and cotton blankets, which were replaced by fur pelts in the winter. He flopped down onto it and curled his tail over his paws, trying to warm them up as he drifted off into a fitful sleep filled with strange dreams. 

One moment, he dreamed that he was laying in the sunlight with Poppy, listening to her talk about a nice, calm get together they could have with all their friends, and the next he saw himself standing in front of a wicked serpent, a dark storm raging behind it as its coiled body dissolved into raging winds and lightning lit clouds. For some reason, he thought he heard Cooper’s voice, but it sounded different than the last time he had heard it, like it was a bit deeper now. He sounded scared, and Branch tried to turn around to see if he could spot the Funk Troll, but he never got the chance to. As soon as he looked over his shoulder, something struck him across the cheek, slicing through his skin.

Branch woke up screaming, his fur damp with cold sweat. He patted his cheek, searching for a wound that he thought would be there. But he found nothing, just slightly ruffled fur. He rubbed his eyes as his breathing slowed, his heart beginning to beat at a normal pace again. It was too earlier to contemplate strange dreams, so he lay back down and closed his eyes again, trying to forget the dream that seemed to not want to leave his mind.


	9. Stormblown: Part 1

Poppy yawned softly, stretching out her stiff limbs. The sun was shining brighter than ever, and she grimaced at the thought of having to go outside. She slid out of bed and padded over to where her closet was, reaching for the door handle. A cool breeze blew into her pod, and a piece of unusually white paper fluttered gently. Poppy paused, turning her attention to the paper. Her scrapbook materials were every colour of the rainbow, but she hadn’t remembered taking out any white…

Her eyes widened. This was no ordinary piece of paper, it was a note! She quickly grabbed it and brought it up to her face to read.

“Dear Poppy,  
sorry about not speaking to you earlier, but you know how I feel about being near other trolls. Anyways, I thought about what you said, and I think I have the solution to your problem. If you head down to the bottom of the main tree and walk around to the north side, you’ll find the entrance to a den. I put blankets and some provisions down there, and it should be big enough for the kids to move around in without feeling cramped. Take anyone who needs to stay out of the sun down there and they’ll be safe from the heat.  
Oh, and if it’s not too much trouble, could you say hi to everyone for me?  
~ Branch”

Poppy gasped softly in surprise, a fond, sappy look on her face as she realized that her friend hadn’t lost the gentle, caring nature that she always had known him to have. Throwing on a clean dress and putting on her signature headband, she dashed out of the entrance to her pod, sliding down one of the smooth vine slides. As she descended the tree, she spotted Creek, who looked adorably sleepy as he exited his pod.

“Creek! Quick, jump on!” She called, a bright grin on her face.

The still awakening troll obediently leapt onto the slide, yawning as he slid down with her.

“Whats the big hurry Poppy?” He asked, looking curiously at the paper clutched tightly in her paws.

“I was right! Branch did know what to do!” She laughed, jumping off the slide and onto a smaller, curling vine that would allow her to drop onto the ground.

Creek eyes widened in shock. He quickly scrambled after Poppy. “Wait, what?! He was here? You saw him?” He asked, his eyes as wide as moons.

Poppy handed him the note as they slid down, the vine stretching under their combined weight. He read the message Branch had left for them as Poppy made her way to the northern side of the tree. There, nestled between two enormous roots, was a hole big enough for and adult troll to fit into. She crouched down and peered in. It was dark, but it looked strangely inviting. Creek tucked the note into his pocket and looked at the entrance as well.

“Well, I guess we should go in, but first…” Creek trailed off, putting two fingers to his mouth and whistling sharply. 

A few little bugs floated out of the forest, their abdomens glowing softly. The bugs landed on Creek and Poppy’s paws and lit the den up nicely. Poppy went first, ducking down into the short tunnel and walking on all fours until she made it to the main chamber. It was big enough that she could stand up on two legs, and there was a generous amount of space. As Creek climbed down she marveled at the amount of skill and care that had gone into making the chamber safe. A network of sturdy roots held up the ceiling, and she noticed that a few of them had been pulled down slightly so that lanterns could be hung.

“He really did think of everything.” She breathed, walking over to the next tunnel. This one was shorter than the first one and it led to a considerably smaller room. This made sense, however, as she realized that this was where he had stored the food and water.

Behind her, Creek touched one of the walls, feeling the deep grooves where Branch’s claws had dug at the cool earth. He looked at his own claws, then gently scratched at the wall. His tiny marks were dwarfed by Branch’s gouges, and it made Creek feel a little unnerved. If his claws were this big, and capable of building a den this big in less than one night, what was the rest of him like? 

He wasn’t afraid of his friend, but the implication of how much Branch had changed in 4 years did make him a tad nervous. Poppy seemed to be his opposite in this scenario, as she was just praising Branch’s work and staring in awe at the chambers.

“This is amazing! How did he mange to do this?!” She laughed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “If this is what he can make in a few hours, I can only imagine what his lair looks like.”

“It’s kinda… creepy if you ask me. I mean, could you imagine living down here? There’s no colour, no sun!” Creek said.

“That’s the point! I’m actually kinda cold down here, which means this is perfect! Come on, let’s go tell everyone!” She said, ignoring his comment about the den being creepy.

“Right behind you.” Creek replied, eager to get back out into the outside world. How Branch could stand living underground, he wold never know.

Poppy used her hair to swing over to the medical pod, landing with a quiet thud. The sun was climbing higher into the sky, and she intended to have all the pups and trollings down there before noon. 

Glitz was the one who greeted her, the Glitter Troll giving the young princess a tired smile.

“Good morning princess. Any good news for us today?” He asked, not really expecting a positive reply.

“Oh ho ho, do I ever!” She said excitedly. She fished the note that Creek had given back to her out of a pocket on her dress and handed it to Glitz. 

The older troll looked at her quizzically before unfolding the paper and beginning to read. By the time he had finished, his mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. He looked over the note at Poppy, his ears flicking with unreleased excitement. 

“By the Ancestors, that boy never ceases to amaze me.” He chuckled softly, hastily wiping away a tear that was forming in his good eye.

“Me and Creek checked it out, and it’s sooo cool! It’s huge!” She said, throwing her paws up into the air.

“Well then, lets move those pups. Poor things have been up chirping all night whenever they weren’t puking their little guts out.” Glitz said, shouting for Dr. Plimsy.

“Plum! Plum you gotta come see this!” He said cheerfully. 

Poppy beamed when she saw a light shimmer run over Glitz’s body as some of his colour returned to his coat.

By the time the sun had reached its highest point, all of the pups and young trollings were playing happily or sleeping soundly in the den. A few relieved parents took turns watching over the children, grateful to have a safe place to put their offspring. Some of them even chatted with Glitz, singing his son’s praises and asking where he was, wanting to thank him for finding a way to protect the youngest trolls in their village.

Glitz himself was curious as to where his eldest son was. This selfless act of kindness was proof that Branch wasn’t the dangerous creature some trolls feared he would become. Surely he felt like he could return home now? No beast of the woods worked for hours in the dead of night so that little pups would be safe from the ungodly high heat.

“Poppy, did you happen to actually see Branch when you went out to speak with him?” He asked once everyone was in the den.

“Only a flash of gray between some leaves. I wish he would just come out and talk.” She sighed, shaking her head.

“Well, he was willing to do this. Perhaps when this heat lessens you and your friends could go see him, and just… talk to him. You know, thank him and such. Let him know that his work is appreciated and that quite a few trolls would like to be able to thank him themselves. Maybe you all could coax him out of that hole in the ground.” Glitz suggested.  
Poppy nodded her head excitedly. “Yeah! I could ask Biggie to make those tarts he likes, and we could bring Cooper and Guy along.” 

“What about Creek?” Glitz asked.

“I thought it was obvious that he was coming? When does he not?” Poppy giggled. 

“True, true.” Glitz replied, ruffling the princess’s hair.

After a week of horrendous heat and humid weather, the heatwave finally seemed like it was going away. For once, it was cloudy out, and Poppy couldn’t be happier as she pranced along the path through the forest she and Creek had created over the years. Creek, Biggie, Copper and Guy followed behind her, feeling slightly more nervous than they would have liked. Guy tried to stay in the shadows so his glittery coat wouldn’t attract any predators. 

“Come on guys, we’re almost there!” She said in a sing-song voice. 

“What uh, what are we looking for exactly when we get there?” Cooper asked, glancing around at the dark undergrowth.

“Leaves rustling, gray fur, or, you know, anything that might be Branch.” Poppy replied.

“What if we find something and it’s not Branch?” Biggie asked nervously, holding Mr. Dinkles close to him.

“Look, me and Creek have been coming out here for years and the worst thing we’ve seen is a stray sweetbug.” Poppy reassured him.

“They are feisty and they bite, but their sap is oh so delicious.” Creek said, licking his chops.

Soon, they reached the clearing and started calling for their friend. Poppy pounced onto the trunk of the tree Branch had been in before and looked up into its sadly empty branches. Creek crouched at the entrance to Branch’s home, trying to see if he could spot his gray friend. Cooper lifted Guy up so that the Glitter Troll could see better.

Biggie set down the basket of tarts he had been holding and checked the bushes around the brook, his ears flicking around. The sound of a twig being broken made him look across the water and over at a particularly dark patch of forest.

“Branch?” He called hesitantly, cocking his head slightly. 

A shadow slowly fell over Biggie as whatever was in the brush rose up, taller than any troll could ever grow to be. Its long body uncoiled with a bone chilling hiss, yellow eyes piercing through the blackness. Biggie went pale beneath his fur as a massive, serpent-like head emerged from the foliage. He didn’t remember starting to scream, but he must have because suddenly Creek is pulling at his arm, screaming at him to run.

The group of trollings scrambled to get away from the terrifying creature. Poppy led them through the dense brush, trying to find somewhere for them to hide. They couldn’t run home, as that would lead the serpent right to everyone they loved. They ran blindly through the dark woods as the monster lunged for them. Suddenly, the trees disappeared and Poppy had to dig her claws into the dry dirt to stop herself from falling into a ravine. Her friends quickly did the same, backing away from the forest’s edge. Cooper was the last to emerge from the woods, but with how fast he was going, he failed to notice the hole in the ground until it was too late.

A sickening snap rang out, almost immediately followed by Cooper’s shrill scream. His leg was now bent at an unnatural angle as he fell to the ground. Creek and Poppy rushed over, trying to help their hysterical friend, but they froze when the same hiss from before rang out. The serpent slithered out of the forest, its eyes glazed over with madness brought on by the heat and lack of food. 4 thin, whip-like spines rattled menacingly on the end of the serpent’s tail. Poppy’s fur stood on end as she tried to make herself look bigger. She looked to Creek, who was paralyzed by fear.

“Creek! Use your calm aura or whatever to calm that thing down!” She yelled over Cooper’s panicked sobs.

Creek’s ears were pinned flat against his head as he trembled. He shook his head, unable to do anything else as his fear rendered him useless. Poppy bared her teeth in terror as the creature towered above her, looking down at them with hunger in its eyes. It opened its mouth, its maw dripping with saliva as it prepared to devour them.

Branch was making his way back to his bunker when he heard the screams. He dropped the bundle of sticks he had been holding and bolted towards the sound, his claws tearing at the earth as he ran, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

When he saw a giant snake-like creature about to eat his friends, he saw red. All the self restraint he had been working on for 4 years went out the window as he gave into the primal instincts that suddenly gripped him with a fierce urgency.

Somehow, through Cooper’s screams and her own thundering heartbeat, Poppy heard a deep, ferocious roar thunder out into the clearing. With the skill of a experienced predator, a gray blur pounced onto the serpent, biting and tearing at it's neck. The new beast sported a strikingly familiar black ruff and electric blue eyes that blazed with fury.

"Branch?!" Poppy cried out in disbelief. She was barely able to comprehend what she was seeing. How could this feral creature possibly be their gentle, soft-spoken Branch? How had he changed so much over the years?

But even though he was now soaked in crimson blood and currently tearing into a monster's underbelly with his massive fangs and claws, she did not feel afraid of him. He might be acting ferocious now, but look what he was doing! He was protecting them! From _that!_

The serpent thrashed and through Branch off, who landed on his feet and stood protectively in front of the other trollings. He snarled and roared at their attacker, his tail lashing furiously. Poppy shrunk back with a squeak as the serpent lunged again. Branch met the attack head on, not even thinking as he jumped up and dug his claws into the monster's eye.

The serpent let out a shrill shriek and started whipping its tail around. Suddenly, Branch was thrown to the ground as the four spines struck him across his right cheek. The serpent left just as Poppy screamed Branch's name.

The gray troll groaned as pain exploded in his cheek, the stench of blood permeating the air he was breathing. He rolled over and pushed himself up, needing to make sure that the danger was gone. He couldn't see the serpent anymore, but Cooper was still on the ground, and all his friends look utterly terrified. Poppy's trembling form especially broke his heart. The innocent princess should have never looked like that, never in her life. 

He made a promise 4 years ago that he wouldn't come near them until he wasn't dangerous anymore, but he needed to be near them, to touch them and know that they were alright, that they were safe. He started towards them, but something nagged at the back of his slowly clearing mind. He paused and tried to scent the wind, and that's when he realized it.

There was no wind.

Suddenly, a loud, booming noise rang out as the wind returned with a vengeance. The cloudy sky had turned into a churning storm during their chase, and Branch had to grip the earth with his claws to keep from being blown away. He grit his teeth and looked at the terror-filled trolls in front of him.

"RUN! GET TO MY BUNKER AND STAY THERE! THERE'S A LITTLE SWITCH ON THE BIGGEST ROCK, FLIP THAT AND THE DOOR WILL OPEN!" He screamed, desperate to get them to safety. 

Biggie and Guy obeyed his command and made a mad dash for the trees, their fear driving them. Creek was still frozen in place, Cooper was on the ground, and Branch could now see the sickening sight of the quadruped's broken leg. Poppy was stubbornly shaking her head, her tail curling around Cooper.

"I WON'T LEAVE YOU AND COOPER! CREEK, HELP ME GET COOPER UP!" She cried, fresh tears getting whipped away by the wind.

A piece of a tree flung by Branch, startling him into action. He charged forward, headbutting Creek and, by extension, Poppy. The two trolls tumbled back, stunned.

"GO! I'LL GET COOPER! GO NOW!" He roared, trying to scare them into listening. 

Poppy looked at him, refusal and resistance in her eyes as she planted her paws. Creek, however, was not as brave, and he picked Poppy up, ignoring her screamed protests as they disappeared into the woods.

Branch hauled Cooper up, struggling as he took on most of Cooper's weight. Together, they tried to get to the safety of the trees. A gust of strong wind blew them over, pushing them closer to the edge of the ravine. The two males stared fearfully at the dark, greenish, stormy sky as a funnel suddenly appeared, the wind whipping around harder now. Branch’s pupils were little more than quivering slits as both he and Cooper cowered before a danger they had never seen. He could fight a monster, but no one could fight nature, and that caused his heart to drop into his stomach as he realized that they weren’t going to be able to escape.

“HOLD ON COOPER!” He screamed, trying to shield his injured friend.

Cooper clung to him desperately, his thick fur blowing in the wind. Branch tried to dig his back paws into the earth, searching for something he could hold on to. But his claws found nothing but crumbling dirt as the swirling wind kicked up again, sending them right over the edge of the ravine. Their screams were torn from their throats and thrown into the storm as the spiral of wind, water and debris flung them around like rag dolls. 

An especially large flower smacked into the two trolls and sent them careening towards the raging river that ran through the ravine. The cold water felt like solid rock as they plunged into its icy, churning waters. Branch gasped, water gushing down his throat. He slammed his jaws shut and clawed at the water, trying to reach the surface. Once his head hit the air, he coughed violently, almost throwing up the water he had swallowed.

“COOPER! COOPER WHERE ARE YOU?!” He cried, his legs kicking furiously as he fought to keep his head above the water.

“HELP!” Cooper’s voice pleaded from somewhere behind Branch. 

The pink Funk Troll was just barely clinging onto a log, his grip slipping with every passing second. Branch surged forward, his vision blurring as he swam towards Cooper. He dug his claws into the log and hauled Cooper onto it, the younger trolling trying his best to scramble up with his one front leg being entirely useless. Finally, with one more big pull, Both Cooper and Branch were on top of the log. Cooper made an odd wheezing sound as he breathed, his entire body shivering madly. The spiral of wind moved away from them, but the river was taking them away from the forest. Branch blinked a few times, feeling woozy. Despite the fact that his panic should be keeping him awake, he felt extremely tired and nauseous. His whole body spasmed and he hit the log, his muscles seizing. 

“Branch?! Are you alright?” Cooper asked through chattering teeth.

Branch tried to speak, but no words came. The stinging pain of his cheek settled into a buzzing, burning sensation as he wavered in and out of consciousness. After a few more moments, he slipped into unconsciousness, becoming dead to the world around him.

Her gray hoof hit the dry earth, dust rising off the ground slightly and settling onto her white fur. The water jug on her back swayed with her slow gait, and she worried briefly about if it would stay there when it was full. Beside her, “Growley” Pete, as he had been affectionately nicknamed, muttered something about missing his midday nap. She rolled her eyes and went from a walk to a canter as she heard the sound of the river ahead.

“Come on Petey, were almost there!” She called over her shoulder. The dull purplish-pink troll huffed in annoyance but soon caught up with her, his own jug teetering around as he moved.

She made it to the top of the riverbank and froze, her hooves planting themselves in the dirt as she skidded slightly. Something had washed up on the shore, or rather, a couple somethings. She gasped as she realized what exactly she was looking at. Pete’s eyebrows shot up as he looked at the shore in disbelief, his ears shooting back.

“Are those…?” The other country troll couldn’t quite bring himself to finish the question.

“I think so. Come on, let’s get a closer look.” She replied, stepping forward cautiously. Once she was close enough, she tapped the pink Funk Troll with a hoof. She recoiled in surprise when it groaned, not waking up but still reacting to her light kick.

“Quick Pete, gimme a hand hauling these two outta the water.” She said, going to inspect the other limp form.

At first, she thought it was a Rock Troll from the grayness of it’s fur, but then she remembered that even Rock Trolls had colour. She repeated her previous tactic of a gentle kick, but this troll didn’t so much as twitch. She put two fingers to the side of its throat, and sighed in relief when she found a pulse. It wasn’t strong, but it was there. A dark stain caught her eye, so she rolled the stranger over. She sucked in a sharp breath when she saw the four scratch marks on the troll’s cheek, the slight white tinge around the sides of each scratch telling her exactly what had gotten this poor soul.

“What the hell were you doing fight’n a Whippertail?” She murmured, brushing some of the troll’s damp hair out of their face. She looked for any more marks, but surprisingly, she found none. 

“Only one scratch? Damn, no wonder yer still alive.” She said softly. “How the hell did you manage that? That thing should have ripped you to pieces.”

“Holy shit, look at his leg!” Growley Pete exclaimed, halfway done dragging the Funk Troll onto the land.

She looked, and a surprised whinny escaped her lips. His right leg looked like it had nearly been ripped in half once, the jagged scar showing exactly how bad the wound had been.

“What in the name of Canyon Cash caused this?! Looks like a damn pickaxe went right through this fellers leg.” She exclaimed, tipping her hat up to get a better look.

“Hey, do ya mind giving me a hand here? This pink puffball is surprisingly heavy.” Pete said, his voice sounding strained.

She looked at the two strangers and shook her head. “Pete, just take the water jugs and run as fast as you can back to town. Tell the doc what we found and tell ‘em to bring Ma.” She said, dragging the mystery troll off of the water-soaked log. 

Pete set the Funk Troll down and started filling the jugs up.

“Sure thing Delta.” He replied, setting the full jugs on his back and galloping away, a cloud of dust forming behind him.


	10. Stormblown: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and Cooper have found themselves far away from home, but it's not all bad.

“cnh?”

“anch?”

“Branch, open your eyes.”

Branch’s eyes fluttered open slowly, his vision slightly blurred. He rubbed them, trying to rid them of any gunk that had built up in his sleep. 

“Wha?” He asked sleepily, not awake enough to understand what was going on. His cheek stung like his leg used to, and he hissed softly in response.

“Finally! Man, you’ve been asleep for three days!” Cooper said, his details becoming more defined as Branch’s vision cleared.

“3… wait, what?! W-where are we?” He asked, pushing himself up as he whipped his head back and forth. He was resting on a white, cotton cot. Around him were old bricks and the occasional small window, as well as other plain cots. A few counters were placed near a far wall, dull coloured bottles sitting atop them. 

“How did we get here?” Branch continued, his voice hoarse. He began to quiver slightly, feeling extremely exposed and afraid. 

“Well, by what your friend described, y’all tussled with a nasty tornado.”

Branch and Cooper looked towards the left side of the room, Branch with fear and Cooper with delight.

“Hi Miss Dawn!” Cooper chirped, sitting down and waving at the stranger standing in the doorway with the one arm that wasn’t in a cast.

The sound of hooves hitting old wood planks echoed in the nearly empty room, the particles of dust floating in the beams of sunlight that cascaded in from outside being stirred as the figure walked towards them.

Branch, already feeling unsafe and stressed from waking up in pain somewhere unfamiliar, forgot the logic that usually ruled his mind when the whispers were silent. Therefore, despite Cooper’s happy demeanor, he bared his teeth and growled lowly. The stranger paused for a moment, before raising their hands.

“Easy now sugar, I ain’t gonna hurt ya. That scratch of yers given ya trouble?” A female voice said soothingly, stepping into the dusty sunlight. A sturdy, equine body covered in white fur led up to a troll body, peach-orange fur being accented by a teal plaid shirt and similarly coloured eyes. 

Branch stilled, feeling a bit intimidated by the fact that he had to look up at someone this much. He ceased his aggressive behaviour as she fearlessly closed the distance between them. She gently smoothed his fur down, the action almost motherly in nature. Branch went lax, his body screaming for more affection. It had been years since had had even a high-five, and he hadn’t realized just how much he had missed touch.

“Heh. Yer like a big ol’ kitty, rumblin' when ye get pet.” She chuckled.

The gray trolling choked and pulled away when he realized he had started to purr, the sound deep and steady. He hadn’t even known he could do that! Had he done it before and not noticed? How mortifying. The troll stepped back, her hooves clacking against the floorboards.

“As fer yer other question, you youngins are in Lonesome Flats, the home of me and every other Country Troll in this ever expandn' desert.”

“Country Trolls… wait, I’ve heard of you before!” Branch exclaimed, a memory from his childhood resurfacing immediately. 

“You have?” The new troll and Cooper asked at the same time.

Branch reached for the hidden pocket where he kept the ring Trollex had given him. He procured it, holding up to the light as it rested in his palm.

“A friend gave this to me when I saved his life when we were little. He mentioned having met a Country Troll before.”

The stranger’s eyes went wide. 

“May I?” She asked, holding her hand out.

Branch hesitated, but he handed over the ring. The Country Troll examined it, taking great care as to not damage it.

“Well I’ll be. Boy, you must be somethin’ special, ‘cause I never thought I’d live to see the day a ruler entrusted their Ancestral Ring to someone who wasn’t in the royal family.” She said, handing the ring back to Branch.

“Why? I mean, I knew that having this ring meant that I was accepted into their tribe, but why is that such a big deal?” He asked.

“Because that’s not just a Tribe Ring, which any high ranking troll from any tribe has, it’s an _Ancestral_ Ring. There is only 6 in existence, and only the heir to a kingdom’s throne has one. Which means that yer friend must be Prince Trollex himself, and I am mighty curious as to how you two met.” The orange troll said, folding her legs and taking a set next to Cooper.

“It is quite a story." Branch whispered. It truly had been a long time since he had seen his aquatic friend, and he found himself wondering how he was.

“Um, what’s the difference between the tribes? Aren’t we all the same, except for maybe in the looks department?” Cooper asked, confused.

“Yeah, what is your music like? We’ve only ever heard Pop.” Branch said, wanting to hear a new kind of music. The stranger gasped.

“Oh you poor things! All that blither and blather about happy nonsense can’t be good for you. Come on, I’ll show you some proper music. Music that’ll make you _feel!_ ”  
She stood up and trotted out the door, grabbing something that had been just outside the doorway. Branch and Cooper looked at each other before making their way outside. 

The ground was dusty and dry, and cicadas sang as the sun burned brightly overhead. Ahead of them, the County Troll plucked a few strings of what Branch now saw to be a guitar. A few heads poked out from houses as she began to sing.

“We don't hope for makin' things better. All we want is to keep it together. Every day is a rainy day, no changin' the weather. This kind of life has made our hearts as hard as leather.” 

Her voice was slow and tinged with melancholy. Branch felt himself become enraptured, his tail swaying slowly with her words.

“And all these tears are from the dust in our eyes. And all these years just keep on passin' us by. And all this misery makes it hard to deny.” She paused, but only for a few seconds. “We all know that we're just born to die. That's the way it goes when you're just born to die.”

A few Country Trolls joined in with other instruments, and although he didn’t have any, Branch tapped his foot in time with the beat. After noticing him, other townsfolk members joined in, seeming appreciative of his non-disruptive contribution.

“I hear the voice of a whip-poor-will singin'. She don't know all the comfort she's bringin'. We all know the sound of when the truth is ringin'. Yeah, it hurts your soul just like a bumble bee stingin'.”

Cooper watched as Branch moved in time with the Country Trolls, feeling a little awkward. The music felt alien to him, and it was far to sad for his taste.

"All these tears are from the dust in our eyes. And all these years just keep on passin' us by. And all this misery makes it hard to deny. We all know that we're just born to die. That's the way it goes when you're just born to die."

The stranger danced slowly around Branch and Cooper, the former picking up on her moves almost instantly. It wasn't perfect, since she walked on 4 legs and he walked on 2, but they made it work. The two moved in sync with the rest of the trolls who were dancing. Branch could feel the urge to sing along with his dance partner rise, and for the first time in his life, he found that he really had to fight to keep his voice inside his throat. He didn't feel like singing would put them into any danger out here, but the Country Troll's voice was already perfect, and he didn't want to ruin that by trying to sing when he hadn't in 12 years. He didn't even know if he could still sing.

"All these tears are from the dust in our eyes. And all these years just keep on passin' us by. And all this misery makes it hard to deny. We all know that we're just born to die. 'Cause we all know that we're just born to die. That's the way it goes when you're just born... to die."

The stranger drew the last few chords out, the sound reverberating off the walls of the buildings. 

"Wow." Branch said softly, taking deep, slow breaths as emotion filled him, settling in his chest and making his eyes water a bit. "That was beautiful. It really spoke to me, and I can't think of the last time any song hit so close to home."

"That hit close to home for you? I just thought it was really sad. Well sung, but sad." Cooper said, looking at Branch.

"Well yeah, but life is sad sometimes, so it's good that there is music that reflects that." Branch responded.

"Exactly. You know, I wasn't so sure a Pop Troll would be able to appreciate a song that wasn't about cupcakes an' rainbows, but it seems like you really are different." The orange troll said, still holding her guitar.

Branch lost his smile. He glanced down at the dusty ground as his ears drooped. 

"You don't need to tell me that, Ma'am. I already know that I'm weird."

"I said different, not weird. They're not the same thing." She said kindly. "And please, call me Delta. Or, Miss Dawn, if it suits you better."

The gray trolling smiled at Delta Dawn. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled loudly. He wrapped his arms around his midsection as an embarrassed look came onto his face, his rib cage feeling more prominent than he thought it should. When had he eaten last?

“Oh my. Boy, when was the last time you ate a proper meal?” Delta Dawn asked, chuckling softly. “We managed to get you to eat some soup when you were unconscious, but not much.”

Branch screwed up his face as he pondered the question, racking his brain for the answer. Cooper and Delta looked at each other with concern on their faces as the seconds ticked by. It shouldn’t take this long to answer.

“Umm, a month or so, I think? It’s been a while for sure.” He answered finally.

The Country Troll gave a short, outraged trumpet as she struck the ground with one forehoof, her ears going back. This action surprised Cooper and startled Branch, the trolling falling back onto the dusty earth.

“A month?! The hell you been doing that you didn’t eat for a month?! Okay, we are fixin’ this right now. Hickory! Hickory get the barbecue started!” She called, trotting towards a building near the edge of town. Cooper helped Branch up and the two quickly caught up to Delta.

“Miss Dawn, it’s really no big deal! You don’t need to trouble anyone for my sake.” Branch said, not wanting to be a burden.

“Now, now sugar I won’t hear any of that nonsense. Hickory loves to cook fer others, so don’t you worry none ‘bout bothern’ him.” She insisted. She paused for a second, her legs still lifted in a half step. “Wait, are you a… vegan, I think is what you called it, dear?” Delta Dawn asked, looking to Cooper as she finished her sentence. The pink troll nodded.

“Oh, no, definitely not. Ever since my adult teeth came in, I really only eat bugs now. Sometimes, when the hunger gets to be too much I… have to hunt something.” Branch replied, sounding regretful as he looked guiltily at the ground. 

Delta patted him on the back, her bucktooth smile still present on her face.

“Now that’s what I like to hear! Ain’t no shame in eatn’ meat, that’s just how life works for some folks. Come on, I think you’ll enjoy lunch.” She said, leading them up to a stone building just as a lime green troll appeared, leaning against the door frame.

“So, you’ve never had buffalo? Not even once?” 

Hickory questioned Branch as he flipped a sizzling meat patty. It was only them in the small cooking room, as the smell made Cooper feel sick, so Delta Dawn took him to look at some puppies that had recently been born. If Glitz hadn’t taught Branch to have excellent manners, he probably would have been drooling uncontrollably. The smell of cooking flesh, fat and butter was making his stomach growl louder than a thunderstorm.

“I don’t even know what a buffalo is. Is it like a Swag Stag?” Branch asked, looking at the ginger Country Troll.

“The hell is a Swag Stag?” Hickory replied, arching an eyebrow.

“A medium sized brown animal with hooves and big antlers. They’re pretty docile, and I felt really bad when I ate one once.” He said, remembering how he had almost cried when he had bitten down on the base of the poor creature’s neck.

“Why?” 

“Why what?”

“Why did you feel bad? Did you waste it? Drag out its suffern’? Kill it for sport?”

“No! I could never even think of doing any of that!”

“Then there’s no reason to feel bad. You have to eat too, you know. Eatn’ an animal doesn’t make you bad or nothin’, just makes you a living, breathing creature that happens to need meat.”

The two fell into a comfortable silence after that. Branch thought about Hickory’s words, turning them over in his head. Eventually, they settled nicely, and he felt a little bit better. After all, a more carnivorous lifestyle didn’t seem to bother the trolls of Lonesome Flats. And as Hickory placed the patties onto fluffy, buttered buns, he could see why. 

“There ya go! Enjoy.” Hickory said, handing one to Branch. The Country Troll bit into his own, but he also discreetly watched Branch to make sure that he ate. Delta Dawn had told him about her concerns over Branch’s lack of eating, and he was beginning to suspect that there was a multi-layered story behind Branch’s hesitation to eat meat. However, he didn’t want to press him for details just yet. For now, he would be satisfied by the other teen just having a decent meal.

Branch took a small, tentative bite. The juicy burger yielded easily under his teeth, and his pupils expanded as the flavor hit him. He let a soft moan of utter delight pass his lips. He heard Hickory chuckle, but he couldn’t bring himself to be embarrassed. It was _so_ **_good._**

“I take it that yer enjoyn’ it?” Hickory asked humorously.

“I am never eating anything else ever. Oh Gods how did I live my life without this in it?” Branch asked, looking like a pup who had just tasted sugar for the first time. He started to purr softly.

“Yer so cute.” Hickory said teasingly. “Purrn’ like a kitten who’s bein’ given a dish of cream.”

Branch did blush a little at the comparison, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from eating, or from purring.

“Would you like another one?”

“Please.”


	11. Stormblown: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hickory and Branch do a bit of improv therapy, then deal with some nasty pests. Branch narrowly avoids a mental breakdown.

After lunch, Branch and Hickory walked out onto the building’s back porch. The town was quiet in the hazy heat of the afternoon, the townsfolk of Lonesome Flats taking some time to sleep and digest their meals while it was too hot to do much else. Hickory crossed his legs as he lay down, his upper half resting on a short table that had a floral pillow on it. Branch embraced the warmth of the wood as he curled up into a loose ball. As his eyelids drooped, he looked over at Hickory, who had pulled his cream coloured hat down over his eyes. He hadn’t gotten to see the centaur in the light yet, and it was only now that he had gotten a chance to study him.

His lower half was a strawberry roan colour, a splash of white covering his rump. He also had white markings on his feet, which Branch thought made him look like he was wearing socks. Hickory wasn’t wearing pants or a shirt, but he did have a tan leather vest that looked like it was worn often. His ginger hair was tousled, and he had the beginning of a stubble forming on his chin. Branch noted that although Hickory’s fur was much shorter than his or any other Pop Troll’s, he still had a bit of a ruff, something he didn’t think he had seen on any of the other Country Trolls. 

He found himself wondering why that was as he fell asleep, the singing of cicadas and comfort of a full stomach lulling him into a peaceful sleep.

Once again, he had a strangely real looking dream, only this time, it was not as clear as it had once been. The edges of his sight were blurred, and he couldn’t see very far. Everything sounded a bit quieter than he thought it should too.

He was looking out onto a dark river, the water quietly flowing in the same direction he seemed to be going. He glanced around, and saw that he was on a raft of some kind. Then, he realized that he wasn’t alone. He was laying on someone’s lap, their breathing calm and steady, indicating that they were asleep. He tried to see who the person was, but for some reason, his eyes couldn’t focus on them, even though he should be able to see them clear as day. He looked around some more, and saw Hickory, who glanced back at him and smiled, saying something that was too quiet for Branch to hear. Near his foot, something moved, and when he looked, there was Cooper. However, the Funk Troll seemed to be flickering in and out of existence. One moment he was there, and the next he was gone. Branch opened his mouth and tried to look past the hazy figure that he was laying on so that he could ask Hickory what was going on, but nothing came out. 

Suddenly, everything disappeared as Branch felt someone shaking him. He asked “What?!” aloud, speaking far louder than he ever usually would. He saw a worried looking Hickory kneeling in front of him, his paw on Branch’s shoulder.

“Branch? Branch can ya understand me?” He asked, sounding as worried as he looked.

“What? Of course I can. Why?” Branch asked, feeling very confused. Hickory sighed in relief, standing up and extending a hand to help Branch up.

“Sorry ‘bout that. It’s just that you weren’t waking up, and I thought that maybe Mrs Thornbush hadn’t gotten all the venom out of yer system.” He explained.

“Venom? What venom?”

“Do you not remember? Miss Dawn said that yer right lucky not to have died when you took a Whippertail. Them slithern’ bastards are deadlier than a rabid bobcat when you get ‘em riled up. Usually, they live near oases, but I’m guessing this drought we’ve been having drove one mad enough that it traveled into yer territory. The scratch on yer cheek proves that you met one, got hit by its venomous tail, and lived to tell the tale. Not many trolls do, so I reckon yer a pretty decent fighter.”

Branch’s ears flicked back as he remembered how he had acted. He hadn’t even thought for more than half a second before he had starting tearing into that beast’s neck. He turned his claws over and winced slightly when he saw flecks of blood under them. The storm had gotten most of it, but the remaining droplets still served as a harsh reminder of what he had done.

“Uh, are you alright? Y’ look like yer gonna throw up.” Hickory asked, taking a cautionary step back.

“How could I do that? I thought I was starting to get better.” Branch muttered, sitting down and putting his head in his paws.

Hickory knelt down again and put a comforting hand on Branch’s back, his own ears drooping slightly.

“What’s wrong? Was it something I said?” He asked, his voice low and soft.

“No, it’s just…” Branch growled, dragging his paws across his face as he looked up at the sky, the sun having dipped lower now. “For years I tried so hard not to be the monster I feared that I would become, and I was doing good! But then, when I saw that Whippertail about to eat my friends, I just snapped. I lost control, and I didn’t even hesitate before attacking. I became the exact thing that I had worked so hard to pretend that I wasn’t.” 

Hickory blinked, Branch’s words stunning him for a moment. Then, he spoke.

“Branch, that is, by far, the _stupidest_ thing I have ever heard.” 

Now it was Branch’s turn to blink, his eyes almost comically wide as he looked at his companion, who had a very “I-have-never-heard-such-bullshit” look on his face.

“Now, what I took away from that sentence of yers is that when you saw that yer friends were in danger, you tried to save them, right?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“And you mean to tell me that you think yer a monster because of that?”

“Not that! I lost control and _bit_ that thing Hickory! I almost ripped it’s eyes out with my claws! What troll _does_ that?!”

“One that was trying to protect the people he loved when he didn’t have time to think. Branch, if you hadn’t reacted as violently and as fast as you did, yer friends would be _dead_. There would have been no peaceful way to deal with a creature that had likely lost its senses to hunger. Believe me when I say that you are not a monster for behaving like that given the circumstance. Hell, if it had been my loved ones, I wouldn’t have let that damn snake live.” 

Branch tried to argue his point further, but Hickory’s words had shut him down, forcing him to stop and think. Having someone verbally point out how bad his line of thinking could be actually helped. Looking back at the situation with a new, less self depreciating perspective, he could see that the ginger troll had been right. If he had arrived or acted a few seconds later, that would have been it. No more Cooper. He probably would have lost all his friends along with his brother if he hadn’t attacked the Whippertail, either to the serpent itself or to the storm.

“You’re… right. I would have lost them all if I hadn’t acted the way I did.” Branch admitted. “Still, I wish that I had more control over my strength and anger. It worries me that I might lose my temper one day and hurt someone.”

“From what I’ve seen, that’s not gonna happen. But if you want to use some of that ferocity for good, I could use yer help with somethin’.” Hickory said, standing up and walking off the porch. Branch got up and followed him, arching an eyebrow.

“What are we doing?” He asked.

“A pack of egg nabbers has been getting a little to close to home for comfort. What say me and you go out and deal with ‘em?” Hickory asked with a slight smirk.  
“Egg nabbers? What are those?” Branch asked, not liking the sound of these creatures.

“Nasty little fuckers that can slip into a nest, swipe an egg, and be gone before the parents even know they were there. Usually they stick to lizard and bird eggs, but with this drought… well, I just don’t want to risk them deciding that troll might taste good.”

Branch growled at the Country Troll’s words. These creatures sounded too close to bergens for him to not find this matter at least a bit personal. This task, he didn’t think, would weigh heavy on his conscious at all.

“Let’s go get ‘em.” He said, flexing his claws.

Hickory gave a short “Woo-eee!” and went into a gallop, Branch dropping onto all fours as he raced along beside him. Before they left town, the two ran into Delta Dawn and Cooper, who had water jugs on their backs, Cooper swaying slightly under the foreign weight.

“Now where are you boys runnin’ off to?” Delta asked, looking pleased that Branch and Hickory were getting along.

“Me an’ Branch are gonna go stamp out them egg nabbers Growley Pete found. You taking water to Willow?” Hickory responded.

“Cooper here offered to do it while I go fetch more. I tried to tell him that he should be resting, but he insisted. Such a gentleman.” She cooed, pinching Cooper’s cheeks gently. The pink troll just laughed, his jug wobbling slightly.

“Well, we’ll leave y’all to it. C’mon Branch, we’ve got a job to do.” Hickory beckoned to the other trolling as he broke into a gallop again.   
“Right behind you!” Branch called, running after him.

As the sun crept towards the western horizon, Branch and Hickory looked for a place to hide. Tall canyon walls cast long, dark shadows, providing ample camouflage as the two males made their way to where Growley Pete had seen the egg thieving creatures. Once a small crack in the canyon floor became visible, they hid behind a fallen tree.  
As the last rays of daylight started to dissipate, the trolls watched as small, furry creatures climbed out of the crack, scrambling over one another as they sniffed at the air.

“There they are. Remember the plan?” Hickory whispered.

“Wait till they’re all out, then rush them and destroy their nest.” Branch replied.

Hickory nodded approvingly. After a few minutes, no more of the creatures emerged, so Hickory started counting down.

“1…”  
“2…”  
“…3!”

The two of them sprang out from behind the log and dashed forward. Hickory’s left forehoof caught one of the egg nabbers and sent it flying, while Branch swatted a few away with his massive paws. While Hickory stomped on them, Branch began to dig at their nest, his claws tearing away at the dry earth as he filled in whatever parts of the crack didn’t collapse. The rat-like creatures squealed in fear as the Country Troll bucked at them, his back hooves hitting a few as they ran for their lives.

“Hah! Look at ‘em run! We won’t be seeing them again.” He said, turning to help Branch with destroying the nest. However, his assistance wasn’t needed, as Branch had already filled in most of the large crack, his paws digging furiously at the earth. 

“Damn, you work fast.” Hickory whistled, adjusting his hat.

“I like digging, plus I’m good at it.” Branch responded, not pausing in his work.

“You sure are… Branch, I know I just asked fer yer help, but there’s something I could really use your diggin’ skills for.” Hickory said, helping the other male finish filling in the crack.

“What is it?” 

“I’ll tell you on the way back to town. We need to get going, the darker it gets, the greater the risk of us runnin’ into dust dogs.”

“Dust- you know what, just tell me on the way out. These canyon walls are starting to freak me out.”

“Alright, a long time ago, back when the Ancestors were still alive, the first few Country Trolls decided to settle in what we now call Lonesome Flats. They could build and hunt just fine, but findin’ water was hard. Folks had to make trips to the river that runs about 15 miles away from town, and they could only bring back so much at one time. Now, during this time the tribes still lived in harmony, so one day Brimstone, the leader of the Rock Trolls, decided to help the Country Trolls dig a well, since it’s hard for us to bend down to even reach the dirt, let alone dig it up. Canyon Cash, our Ancestor, had a borderline unnatural connection to the world an’ everything on it, be it a swaying tree or a rushing river, the legends say that he could pinpoint it’s exact location. He used his power to find a place where a deep underground river was flowin’, and Brimstone used his mighty strength to dig right down to it. Together, they built a well that has stood the test of time and stands proud to this day.”

Branch listened intently to Hickory’s story, becoming enthralled by the Country Troll’s words. He had never been told many stories as a pup, although he supposed that was because he had been to shy to ask.

Hickory sighed, his ears drooping slightly. “But now, that rivers’ run dry, and at the worst possible time. Trips to the big river have been getting more dangerous as the local wildlife becomes more an’ more desperate. But that’s not all, Mrs Willow, Delta’s older sister and the daughter of Mayor Thornbush, fell ill after she laid her egg, and she ain’t gettin’ much better. The stress of worryin’ about the town and her unborn pup not havin’ enough water is makin’ her sicker I think. If she doesn’t get better soon, I’m afraid she ain’t gonna make it.” 

“That’s awful!” Branch said, feeling sympathetic for the poor woman and her family.

“But I think we can help with that. See, Miss Dawn says she _knows_ where another underground river is. I figure if she can tell us where, me an’ you can build a new well, just like Canyon Cash and Brimstone did all them years ago.”

“But you said Brimstone was a Rock Troll! I’m a Pop Troll!”

“Well, you dig an’ fight like a Rock Troll.”

“I do?” Branch questioned quietly, glancing down at his paws. 

“Yeah. In fact, Delta apparently mistook you for a Rock Troll at first, ‘cept she said you were “too colourless” to be a Rock Troll.” Hickory frowned for a moment. “Wait, aren’t Pop Trolls all rainbow-y and shit? That’s how the history books describe ‘em.”

“Rainbow-y would be one way to put it, yes.” Branch said, his voice wavering slightly as he thought about the underlying implications of what Hickory was saying. “B-but just because I don’t have colour doesn’t make me any less of a Pop Troll!” 

“Maybe, but what ‘bout everything else?” Hickory asked, looking down at Branch, who was grinding his teeth.

“Look, can we just drop it? I am a Pop Troll. It is VERY obvious that I have always been a Pop Troll, because if I wasn’t, that would mean that my own father and my king never talked to me about what I would grow up to be despite them DEFINITELY KNOWING SOMETHING!” Branch yelled, gripping his head tightly as he raised his voice to a borderline roar.

Hickory stepped away slightly and held up his hands in surrender, shocked by Branch’s outburst. Where this had come from, he didn’t know, but it was obvious that the younger male had issues and feelings that he had been bottling up that were starting to bubble over.

“Alright, yer 100 percent Pop, just calm down.” He said, trying to soothe the distressed troll.

“100 percent.” Branch repeated, saying it more to himself than anyone else. He took a few much needed breaths of cool desert air and sighed, his fur smoothing itself down. “Sorry, I think you were saying something about building a new well?” 

Hickory noted the sudden mood and subject change but chose not to comment on it. “Yeah. If you can dig the hole, I can cart up stones from the mine and wood from what few trees we have. Delta can find whatever else we need.”

“Sounds great. Oh, look, there’s town!” Branch said, pointing towards the silhouette of Lonesome Flats.

“There’s home alright. C’mon, maybe Miss Dawn saved us some leftovers.” Hickory said, playing along with Branch’s act of pretending that he hadn’t almost had a mental breakdown. 

**_A few days earlier, back in the Pop Village…_ **

Poppy paced along the ravine’s edge, looking down into it’s depths. It was dark, and she had been out here for hours, but she couldn’t afford to give up. When they had made it back to the village after a long, screaming match filled night spent in Branch’s bunker, her father had declared that they needed to move again. The tornado, as he had called it, had ripped up too many trees in the area, leaving them vulnerable to attack from the scarier forest beasts. After she had gotten over her initial shock, she managed to escape her busy father’s careful watch and had raced back to where the serpent hadn’t almost gotten them. She searched and searched and searched, desperate to find her two missing friends so that they wouldn’t be left behind.

“oppy! Poppy!”

A familiar voice called out for her, and the young princess turned to see Glitz Diamond emerge from the broken foliage of the dark forest. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw her and quickly rushed over, scooping the exhausted heiress up.

“Princess, what are you doing out here? Everyone is in a tizzy looking for you.” He asked, sounding stressed.

“I need to find Branch and Cooper! This is the last place I saw them before Creek made me leave, so they have to be here somewhere, right?!" She asked desperately.   
Glitz looked at the insanely optimistic youngling in his arms and felt himself break. He firmly shut his eyes as tears formed, his entire body shuddering as he took in an unsteady breath. 

"Poppy, Creek told me about the creature you encountered yesterday. From what he described, it was likely a subspecies of Needletail. He said," Glitz choked, the sound causing Poppy to become worried. "that Branch had gotten scratched and that Cooper had broken his leg. Is that true?" 

"Yes?" Poppy answered slowly, not understanding why the silvery nurse was acting like this.

Glitz let the tears fall now as he though about how he should word his next statement. "Princess, Needletails are known for the highly venomous spines on their tails. The venom kills slowly, but paralysis sets in early on. If Branch and Cooper were swept up by that tornado, and assuming they weren't killed by debris, they likely landed in that river down there."

"So they... floated down stream!" Poppy said, perking up. Her face fell when Glitz sobbed, pulling her into a hug.

"No my dear. If they hit the water, they drowned. The two of them wouldn't have been able to fight the river's current in a storm like that, not in the state they would have been in."

Poppy was stunned into silence for a moment. Then, she furrowed her brows and pushed back, looking Glitz dead in the eyes.

"No."

"What?" He asked, not expecting this reaction at all.

"I refuse to believe that Branch survived 3 Trollstices, the journey to where we finally settled, 4 years of isolation in the forest, and fighting off a whip whatever just to die from a stupid wind funnel!" She yelled, wiggling out of Glitz's arms. "And what about Cooper? Mrs Sunny says that his egg floated down a river from somewhere far away! If he did it once, he can do it again."

"Poppy, listen-"

"No, _you_ listen. They are alive, and one day we will see them again!" She said, stopping her foot with an air of finality.

The two stared at each other for what felt like forever, before Glitz finally sighed, looking at the pink trolling with a resigned face.

"I can't bring myself to think that they're alive, but I suppose I can try and hope." He said, giving her a weak smile. Poppy returned it, running up to the Glitter Troll and hugging him around the waste.

"That's good enough."


	12. Stormblown: Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> its the mental breakdown *kazoo sound*
> 
> Branch and Hickory's bromance flourishes as Hickory tries to convince Branch that his tribe, or at least Peppy, has treated him pretty badly. Branch has another dream.

As the first rays of sun started peaking out from below the horizon, Branch, Delta Dawn and Hickory set out towards the place where Delta had said there was an underground river. It was only about a mile away from town, and the area was flat and free if any large rocks that might hinder their progress. Hickory pulled a cart full of stones and wood, while Delta pulled one full of the necessary materials to make a cement-like adhesive, as well as some tools, food and water. Branch only carried a sturdy rope and bucket, since he needed to save his strength for the actual job. Once they reached the place, Delta unhitched herself from the dusty cart and knelt down to feel the ground with her hand, her ears flicking forward.

"Yep, this is the place alright. I sure as shoot appreciate you boys doing this, a new water source is exactly what we need right now." She said, giving them a warm smile. "Are ya sure y'all don't need my help?"

"It's alright ma'am. Go take care of yer sister. You said her egg was due to hatch soon, right?" Hickory asked, unhitching his own cart. "Any idea what they're thinkin' of naming the lil one?"

"Well, Delver gets to name 'em Tussle if it's a boy, an' Willow says that if it's a girl, which she thinks it will be, the name's gonna be Clampers, after her Great Granny." The other Country Troll replied.

"Clampers?" Branch questioned, setting down his supplies.

"A strong bite has been a trademark trait in my family for as long as anyone can remember. Great Granny Clampers had a bite like a dust dog, and there ain't nothin' meaner than a dust dog when it's got ya by the leg." She explained. "And if you need proof, just wait till you meet my Ma. She's got the scar from when one got hold of her."

"When will I meet her?" Branch asked.

"Soon I reckon. She's the one who treated you and yer friend. She's out in Cactus Valley gettin' more herbs for her medicine cabinet, so she won't be back for a few more days."

"Well, lets try and get this well done before she gets back. It would be a good way to say thank you to her for saving mine and Cooper's life." Branch's ears twitched as a thought came to him. "Hey, where is Cooper? I didn't see him when I woke up."

"Oh, he's with Mrs Willow. 'parently he makes for an excellent companion. She told me that he tells the most cheerful stories, and that he helps watch her egg when she needs to rest and Mr Delver is busy trying to build a fence so that the kid has a safe place to play." Hickory said, walking over to Delta's cart and retrieving a dusty pickaxe. 

"Yeah, that sounds like him. He always seemed like a really kind and helpful troll, from what I can remember from when we were little." Branch said, cracking his knuckles before he began to scratch a circle into the dirt.

"Didn't y'all grow up together?" 

"Mnn, sorta. I knew him for... seven years I think? I didn't hang out with him very much though, since he was closer to Poppy and her friends." 

"I think Cooper said somethin' 'bout someone named Poppy bein' worried about the two of you. Who are they?" Delta questioned.

"Oh, Poppy is our princess and one of our best friends! Well, one of his best friends at least." Branch sighed sadly. "I haven't been a good friend to her, to any of my old friends. I doubt she's worried about me, or, at least, I hope she isn't. I'm not worth worrying over." He muttered, beginning to dig at the dry earth.

Hickory and Delta Dawn looked at each other, their faces sporting twin concerned looks.

"Is he okay?" Delta mouthed.

"He has issues. I'll try and get him to open up." Hickory mouthed back, turning to help Branch. Delta nodded and awkwardly readjusted her hat. 

"Whelp, I'll leave y'all to it. Don't forget to get out of the sun once noon rolls 'round. Don't want ya to get sick with the heat stroke."

"We won't forget. See you later ma'am." Branch called, not looking up from his work. Hickory nodded at her as he began to swing the pickaxe down.

Branch's eye caught the glint of the sun reflecting of the metal of the pickaxe just as it came down to pierce the dirt. He flinched back hard, a frightened yelp escaping him as he jumped back. Hickory dropped the tool and stepped forward as Delta turned around to see what had happened.

"Oh Gods, Branch are you alright?! Did I hit you?!" Hickory asked, panic in his voice.

Branch wheezed softly as he put a paw over his pounding heart. "No I-" He coughed, choking on his own fear. "I'm sorry, it's just, you swinging that thing reminded me of... an accident I had when I was a pup." He gave them a fake smile. "I'm alright now, really. I just wasn't expecting it."

"No, son, you aren't alright. Nothing and no one alive acts like that when they're alright." Delta said, kneeling on one leg. "If this is too much for you, if it drags up somethin' bad from the back of yer memories, stop. Me an' Hickory can do it, it'll just take a bit longer."

The gray trolling shook his head quickly, getting to his feet. "No, no, it's fine, I promise. Now that I know it's coming, I won't be frightened." 

Frightened wasn't a strong enough word and everybody knew it, yet none of them spoke out in protest. The orange troll studied the young male before backing off and beginning her trot back to town, occasionally looking back over her shoulder. Branch resumed his digging, but Hickory decided to switch to a stone shovel, just in case. He wanted to ask Branch about what had just happened, but they only had so many hours of tolerable daylight to work with, so he planned his questions out carefully as the two of them worked.

As the sun reached it's peak in the sky, Hickory led Branch to a place where they could cool down and wait out the heat. Branch pressed his face into the shadow covered dirt as Hickory dragged one of the carts over. He retrieved two canteens and a bag of buffalo jerky and dried cactus fruit. He nudged Branch up and handed him the provisions.

"Here. You need to eat all of the jerky at least so that you can replace the sodium you've lost. The cactus fruit will help with yer potassium as well. But first, drink some water. You look like yer about to drop dead."

"Mlembblllth." 

"What?"

Branched raised his head, his expression one of unending tiredness. "I said mlembblllth." 

"Yeah I feel that. Drink yer water."

As the two teens drank and ate under the shade, they began to think about questions that were sitting at the front of their minds. Hickory took a bite from a strip of jerky before speaking.

"So, do you maybe wanna... talk about what happened back there?" He asked, glancing at Branch, who paused mid chew. The gray trolling didn't meet Hickory's gaze.

"Mmnh, not really." He murmured, swallowing.

Hickory hummed. "How 'bout this. You tell me about yer accident, and you can ask me somthin'. A secret for a secret."

"...Alright, fine." Branch said, exhaling.

'Now we're gettin' somewhere.' He thought.

Branch picked at a rock that was lodged in the ground. "You ever hear of a bergen, Hickory?"

"No, I haven't." 

"I envy you. Bergens are horrendous, monstrous, evil creatures who can't feel happiness without taking it from others. And, well, Trolls are the happiest creatures the world has ever seen, or Pop trolls are at least." Branch growled, his claws digging into the ground and leaving deep grooves in the earth.

"Take happiness from others? What, you mean like makin' em feel bad?"

"No. By eating them."

Hickory blanched, his stomach turning violently. He spat out the jerky he had been chewing on as he fought the urge to vomit.

"Wait, what?! Branch, yer not saying-" 

"I am. For 200 years my tribe was kept in a cage and systematically slaughtered every year so that those monsters could taste happiness for a day. They made a fucking holiday out of murder." He said, almost laughing at the absolute absurdity of it. It was so normal to him and everyone he had ever grown up around that seeing Hickory's reaction surprised him a little bit.

"Holy shit. Oh my Gods. How? How did we not hear about this? Oh Ancestors Branch how are you still alive?!" He yelled, his ears flat against his head as he stumbled to his hooves in surprise.

"Sacrifice, luck and a knack for being too stubborn to die.” Branch replied calmly, taking a sip of his water.

“How are you so calm? That’s beyond horrfyin’!” Hickory asked, starting to pace back and forth in the shade as he made exaggerated gestures. 

“I guess… I’m used to it? I mean, almost everyone I knew was there for at least 1 Trollstice. I mean, I still get nightmares about it sometimes, but I haven’t had any recently, which is good I guess.” He said, watching the centaur pace.

“Used to- Branch that ain’t healthy! How long have you gone without talking to someone ‘bout this?” Hickory asked, turning to look at the other male.

“I… never have? Its not exactly something we’re supposed to bring up. Don’t want to scare the pups after all.”

“By all the stars in the sky, do y’all get to feel anything other than happiness?! Like are ya allowed to talk about anything that ain’t cupcakes an’ rainbows? You sure you ain’t just been born into a cult?”

“What’s a cult?” 

“Oh lands alive…”

“Look, it’s not that we aren’t _allowed_ to not be happy, it’s just seen as being… unnatural.” Branch’s words tapered off as he realized how bad this was sounding. “Like… there’s something wrong with you.”

“By the Ancestors, Branch! That’s not normal! None of what you’re saying is okay!”

“Well its not like I can’t understand why they act like that! I mean, look at what happens when you stop being happy! You lose your colour and become like, like me! Someone who will never belong!” Branch cried, his eyes becoming watery as his voice cracked.

The two of them stood under the shadow of the large rock that toward above them, their chests heaving as they breathed heavily. Branch broke his gaze first, his head bowing as he hiccuped, tears hitting the desert dirt. His legs wobbled as he slumped down, each breath causing his body to tremble. Hickory remained standing for a moment, before dropping down onto his knees and pulling Branch into a warm hug. The gray trolling stiffened, but soon returned the hug, pressing his face into Hickory’s shoulder. 

“You know what? Them Pop Trolls must all be damn fools, because they have made you believe some mighty harmful lies. There is nothin’ wrong with not being happy every hour of every day, I know I’d drive myself crazy trying to be happy all the time. And you do belong. You belong here, there, or anywhere you want, and you know why?”

Branch shook his head slightly.

"Because you're incredibly smart and clever, you care so much about others that sometimes you forget to save some love for yerself, you are ride or die when it comes to yer friends an' family, and you pick up a melody faster than anyone I've ever seen. And if anyone ever tries to tell you otherwise, you let me know, and I'll buck some sense into 'em."

Branch looked up at Hickory with still drying eyes, his lips turned up into a smile. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Hickory swore Branch's coat shimmered slightly, his gray fur almost appearing a little bit tealer.

"I've never needed to hear something more in my life." He sniffed, his voice still wavering.

"Well I am gonna make sure you believe every word, because I think you really need to. Branch, being sad ain't what caused yer colour to fade," Hickory said, catching his friend's attention. "it's... somethin' else. Somethin' deeper. Folks 'round here get sad, as I'm sure you can tell, but we don't lose our colour unless somthin' cuts us deep. Trauma and depression is what causes ya to lose yer true colours, not normal emotions."

"What? Why, why didn't anyone tell me?" Branch asked, trying to remember if Glitz or anyone else had mentioned something about his gray fur.

"I get the feeling that there's a lot more that's been kept from ya than just the cause of yer grayness. Whether it be from lack of knowledge or by choice, I'm not sure." Hickory responded, still holding Branch in a tight embrace, his ears flicking absentmindedly as he listened to Branch's too-fast heartbeat.

"But why?" Branch whimpered. "Surely someone had to know something. We lived in hell for 200 years, how could they have been happy all that time?" 

"You'd have to be a damn freak 'a nature." Hickory agreed. He had heard the stories, of how the Pop Trolls had stolen almost all the strings, but had there been more to the story? Was there something lost to time that could explain why they were like this?

'Maybe it was their past.' He thought. 'Anyone'd go mad in a place like Branch described.'

"I wish I could be like everyone else. Able to sing songs everyday and dance in the sunshine." Branch said, looking out at the sun-scorched land in front of them. The flatness of the terrain meant that he could see the town from his spot under the rock.

Hickory followed his gaze and rested his chin on Branch's head. "Nah. I don't think you'd be happy like that. Yer differences are what's gotten you this far."

"I guess so. Hey, I never actually did tell you about my accident, did I?" 

"You don't have to if ya don't want to. I'd understand."

"No, I told you I would, and besides, I do have a question I want to ask you."

Branch relayed the night of his escape to Hickory as they finished their lunch, separating from their embrace but staying close together. He told the Country Troll of how he had gotten the scar on his leg, and how long it had taken to heal. Hickory had flinched and growled at a few points during the beginning of the story, but settled down when Branch told him about how his friends had been there for him. Branch slipped into telling Hickory about his fondest childhood memories without realizing it. The ginger troll didn't stop him, eager to learn more about Branch's past.

"And his legs were stained yellow for a week! I didn't even know purple fur could be dyed like that." Branch laughed, wiping away a few stray tears of laughter.

"Heh, serves him right. My older brother has the same problem with impatience." Hickory chuckled.

"You have a brother?" Branch asked.

Hickory's ears flicked down and he looked away. Branch cocked his head in confusion. 

"I guess I owe you a secret, don't I?" He sighed. "I have two older brothers, Dickory and Dock. They... don't share the same views on music as me. I think all music is equal, but those two only want me to focus on our music."

"Your music? You mean country music?" Branch questioned.

"No. Not country. We're... Yodelers." 

"Yodelers? I don't recognize that type of music."

"It's one of the sub genre tribes. We live high up in the Northern Symphony mountain range, where the mountains carry our voices. My brothers are very proud of our tribe's music, but I was always drawn towards country. That, among other things, drove a wedge between us. We haven't spoken in years." 

"I'm sorry. I regret asking about it now." Branch apologized.

"Don't be. I was the one who brought it up. Besides, it don't hurt much these days.”

They stayed in the shade a bit longer, silent as they waited for the afternoon heat to subside. Eventually, when the sun had moved from its peak height in the sky, Hickory suggested that they try and get some more work done

Branch agreed, so the two packed up their supplies and began digging again. Their muscles burned in protests, but they worked through the pain.

"Woof, we're gonna be feeling this tomorrow." Hickory groaned after a few hours, cracking his back.

"You said it. I think my legs have locked up, and it's getting harder to keep my balance. I'm almost falling into this hole." Branch agreed, widening his already wide stance as he tried to keep himself from slipping.

"Maybe Miss Dawn can help me fashion us some harnesses tomorrow. I have a feeling we need to rest our muscles for a day, or we might end up tearing something." The Country Troll said.

"I did that once. I couldn't move for, like, a whole day!"

"What'd ya do?"

"...Yoga."

Hickory snorted, his face wrinkling as he grinned. He chuckled loudly, the noise turning into full blown laughter as the image of Branch doing yoga poses came into his mind.

"Hehe, you- snrt- you do yoga? I'm sorry, I just don't believe it."

"No it's true! I did a ton when I was younger, especially when my leg was healing. I guess I was just out of practice. Not a lot of time for yoga when you're building a bunker." 

Branch protested jokingly. He scooped another pawful of dirt out as Hickory wiped a tear of laughter from his eye.

"You built a bunker? What, with yer family?"

"No. I... haven't spoken to my family in years. Ever since I went into self exile."

Hickory arched an eyebrow, pausing in his digging. "Self... exile?"

"Well, I think it was when I was around 10 years old that I realized that I was growing up to be too dangerous to be around the other kids, me and King Peppy decided that I should live away from the village. So I built myself a bunker, since I didn't know how to make a pod." Branch explained, ducking down further into the hole.

"10 years old..." Hickory repeated, a mortified expression on his face. 

He remembered what his life had been like at 10 years old, rolling and playing in the snow drifts with his brothers and drinking hot apple cider with his mother and father as they watched mountain goats leap from rock to rock. He remembered seeing what happened when trollings wandered to far from home and got caught off guard by the rapidly changing weather and frigid temperatures, the image of a tiny body coated in a layer of ice burned into his brain forever, acting as a sharp reminder to never wander too far. Then he imagined a much smaller, far more vulnerable version of his friend, far from his home not because of his own foolish actions, but because he feared his own gifts and no one had ever told him not to. Hickory felt his blood start to boil.

He threw down his pickaxe with a short yell and stomped away. Branch slipped, startled by the sudden noise. He quickly caught himself and managed to get onto his feet, looking confusedly over at Hickory.

"Are you okay?" He asked, tilting his head.

Hickory growled, stamping at the ground and kicking up dust. He yelled again, his lower half bucking wildly as he cursed.

"Damnit! Fuckin' fuck fuckity fuck FUCK! GODS DAMN IT!" He screamed, his ears pinned flat against his head.

Now it was Branch's turn to hold his paws up in surrender.

"Whoa! Hickory, calm down! What's wrong?" He asked, stepping closer.

"What's- do you even hear yourself?! You've been treated so badly by everyone in yer damn life it seems, but you just speak so causally 'bout it that it's fuckin' disturbing! How can you just act like what you say is okay when it's NOT!" He snarled, spinning around and striking the ground.

Branch was stunned. Aside from his father, and to a lesser extent, Poppy, no one had ever gotten this _angry_ about how he had been treated. He walked closer to Hickory, being mindful of the troll's sharp hooves.

"Easy, easy! It's alright, it was for the best, okay? I didn't know how to control my strength, so I needed to leave so that everyone would be safe." He said, trying to calm his friend down. However, this just seemed to make Hickory madder.

"But what about you?! What about your safety? What about your happiness? Either yer King is dumber than a pile 'a rocks, or he sent you out to **die.** " Hickory snapped, stomping up to Branch and gripping his shoulders. His hold was firm but not painful, so Branch gripped his right back, hoping to be able to make the other male calm himself down before he got hurt.

"King Peppy isn't a bad king, Hickory. He just wanted to make sure his daughter and subjects were safe."

"Safe from a child?"

"Safe from a child who might have grown up to be a monster."

"A monster?! Hah, don't make me laugh. Yer much more akin to a guard dog than any monster I've ever encountered. Open yer eyes Branch, they mistreated you! No trolling, no matter their differences, should to be pushed away and ostracized, because that's how you _make_ monsters."

Branch's resolve weakened under the Country Troll's hard gaze and truthful words. He hated how what Hickory was saying made sense, because it made him feel like the world's most oblivious idiot for not realizing that what had happened during his childhood wasn't okay. Hickory must have seen something change in him, because his look softened and he pulled Branch into another hug, a gentle one this time.

"I'm sorry. I don't like yellin', 'specially about stuff like that, but I needed you to see that you have been wronged, so that when we get you back home, you don't let yer self get hurt like that again." He said softly.

"I feel so dumb. Why did I think that was normal?" Branch wondered aloud, the question more for himself than Hickory.

"Because it was normal for you, and that is truly saddening. I wish someone would have gotten angry over how they was treatn' ya." The ginger replied.

Branch laughed softly. "Actually, two people did. My adoptive dad almost tore King Peppy's throat out when I told him that I was leaving. His daughter wasn't much happier either. Poppy still wasn't talking to him when I left." 

"So there is some sensible trolls in yer village! I would love to meet 'em." Hickory said with a grin. He would give his left leg to watch Branch's king get the snot kicked out of him.

"Yeah, you'd like my dad, he's cool. He taught me everything I know about medicine and survival. Poppy might be a bit too... spontaneous for Lonesome Flats though." He giggled, thinking about the calm townsfolk meeting the princess of glitter herself. He hoped she was alright. 

Wait, if they had all run into the forest, had anyone seen him and Cooper hit the water and survive?

Branch pulled away from the hug with a gasp. "Oh my Gods, everyone probably thinks we're dead! Ohh, that's gonna hurt them, oh poor Dad, he already looked like he had lost colour when I saw him again, what if this makes him lose all of it? What if Guy or Creek or Poppy become like me?!" He cried, becoming panicked. "And Copper's moms! I can't even begin to imagine what they're feeling right now! What if the village shuns them too?!"

"Whoa, Branch, stop. You need to calm down, or yer gonna end up backing up into that hole." Hickory warned, holding up one paw. "Now, I'm sure yer friends and family is missing you a whole lot, but I'm also sure that they'll have each other for support. They wont be shunned, I promise.” He said soothingly.

“How do you know?” Branch sniffed pathetically.

“Because I think yer Dad and that princess of yers wouldn’t let ‘em. They sound like good, smart trolls.” He responded.

“They are.” Branch said, rubbing his eyes. Hickory could see that the two of them were too exhausted to continue, so he walked over to the carts. 

“Come on, lets get back. We wont be of use to anyone if we collapse out here.”

Branch took the lighter cart so Hickory wouldn’t have to pull two. As they walked back towards Lonesome Flats, Hickory spoke, breaking the silence that had formed.

“When we first started, you said that you didn’t think yer friend Poppy would miss you. But you know what? I bet she does. Yer very miss-able.”

“Am I now?” Branch replied humorously.

“Yup. In fact, I may just have to travel with you once yer friend is fit to move. Y’all will need to cross the desert, and there ain’t no better guide than me, ‘cept maybe Miss Thornbush.” Hickory said, half joking, but also half serious.

“Well, I won’t complain. You’re good company.” The gray trolling replied.

“As are you Branch.” Hickory said, watching as the sun slowly set. “As are you.”

Branch awoke in a dream once again, his vision shockingly clear. He was standing on the edge of a dusty porch, the darkness of the moonless night being driven back by a singular lantern that hung overhead. He could hear things moving in the inky blackness, the nearly inaudible pitter patter of paws hitting dry earth as their owners crept around in the shadows. The lantern flickered, and in the few seconds that the light had receded, a tooth filled maw snapped at him, small eyes reflecting the lanterns glow. Branch moved back, his head whipping back and forth as the noises surrounded him. He could hear a quiet cracking sound behind him, and when he turned to look, something lunged at him, the feeling of teeth sinking into his arm just barely registering before he awoke with a start.

He gasped loudly, sitting up. He felt at his arm, but there was nothing there. That dream had felt very, very real, and the feeling of sharp teeth biting him stuck with him for the rest of the night.


	13. Stormblown: Part 5

Hickory had been right about being sore the next day. The two hard working trolls could hardly move without having to repress a groan or whine. Since they obviously weren’t going to be working on the well today, Hickory decided that now would be a good time to introduce Branch to Willow and Delver. He led Branch to a sturdy looking oak house that sported a well built but dusty porch. Branch paused briefly as he approached, the sight looking strangely familiar. An unlit lantern hung over his head as he passed through the front doorway, and he figured that he must have seen the house when he was walking around town before, as it was too similar to the one in his dream for his mind to have made it up. 

Inside the well-lit homestead sat Cooper, A tired male Country Troll with blue skin and a nearly black furred lower half, and an ill looking female country troll with pale lavender skin and white fur. Nestled close to her side was a fairly large light blue egg with purple speckles. 

“Mr Delver, Miss Willow, this here is Branch. He’s the one who helped me get rid of those egg nabbers and is helpin’ me with that well Miss Dawn told y’all about.”

The male approached the two, a warm smile on his face.

“So this is the newcomer we’ve been hearing about. My name is Delver Cottonmouth, but you can call me Delver.” He said, reaching out a paw. “And that lovely darlin’ over there is my beloved wife, Willow.”

Branch took it and gave the troll’s paw a firm shake. “Branch, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” 

“The pleasure is all mine. Delta sings yer praises, apparently you’re one hell of a hard worker. I respect that.” Delver said, stepping over to a table. “Would y’all like some sweet tea while we wait fer lunch to finish bakin’?”

“Yes please.” Hickory and Branch chimed in unison. They looked at each other and laughed, making their way to sit on the pillows near the table. Willow smiled kindly at them, her upper half resting on a plush pillow. She looked tired and thin, and her light pink hair looked dull. Still, she tried to look lively while making conversation.

“So how are you finding Lonesome Flats deary? I know it’s a far cry from a forest, but it has its upsides.” She said, her voice mellow as she spoke to Branch.

“I’ll admit that I do miss the cover of the trees, but I do like it here. The trolls in this town have a calmness to them, but they’re still really friendly. Its a nice change of pace.” He answered, taking a sip from his drink.

“If you don’t mind me askin’, how old are ya? Ya look to be ‘round Hickory’s age, but I can see that you’ve still got some of yer baby spots.” Willow asked, looking between Hickory and Branch.

“I’m 14 ma’am.” Branch replied.

“Really? Looks like I've got 3 years on ya. I would have guessed 16, since you’ve only got a few left.” Hickory said, poking one of Branch’s spots. “I figure you’ll hit yer adult molt soon.”

“Oh dear. I hope we can get you home before that happens. Wouldn’t want to be caught travellin’ when it hits, that’s fer darn sure.” Willow said, a slightly concerned look coming over her face. “Delver, hunny, how far away is the Pop territory border?”

Delver hummed and trotted into another room. Branch looked confused. “Wait, why do I need to be home before it hits? Is it bad or something?” He asked, looking at Cooper, who just shrugged.

Willow and Hickory looked at each other. “Didn’t your parents tell you?” Willow asked. 

Hickory winced, glancing at Branch, who seemed to slump slightly. “Uh, they aren’t exactly… around anymore, Miss Willow.” He said awkwardly. Willow’s ears drooped and her eyes became sympathetic.

“Oh sweetheart, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up.” She apologized.

“It’s alright. It happened when I was too young to remember them that well.” Branch said, looking at his drink.

“Well, perhaps me an’ Delver can offer some useful advice. We ain’t Pop Trolls, so maybe we go through different things, but I’m bettin’ there’s some crossover.” She offered, coughing slightly.

Her coughing increased, and Willow gripped the table, her body shaking. Branch slammed down his drink and closed the short distance between him and Willow. Hickory ran to fetch her a glass of water while Branch helped her sit up, letting her put her weight on him. Delver quickly returned, a yellowed roll of paper tucked beneath his arm as he knelt next to his wife.

“Breath, darlin’, breath.” He soothed, rubbing his wife’s back.

Eventually, her coughing fit died down, and Willow lay her head on the table once more. 

“Hickory, could you help ‘er to her bed?” Delver asked, helping Willow stand.

“Th’ egg.” Willow muttered weakly.

“I’ve got it.” Cooper said, placing a gentle paw on the egg to keep it from rolling underhoof as Hickory escorted Willow out of the living room.

Once they had left, Delver sighed, taking Willows place beside the egg. 

“She’s gettin’ worse. It’s like that everyday now, and it takes her longer to recover.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Cooper asked, looking at where Willow had disappeared.

“’fraid not son. We’ll just have to wait fer Miss Thornbush to get back with some medicine.” Delver said sadly, his orange hair framing dark eyes that showed flickers of despair.  
There was a heavy pause for a moment, before Delver took a deep inhale. 

“Right! So, the Pop border is quite a ways away on foot, but if y’all can make it down the East river, you’ll be home within a few days.” He said, drawing a path with his finger and tapping the place where a pink, sparkly tree pod symbol was.

Branch and Cooper observed the map. Branch looked at an area marked **_Vibe City_** in gold lettering, with a few smaller letters on the territory’s border reading ‘Funk Troll Border’.

“Hey Cooper look! There’s your home.” He said, pointing at the purple coloured landmass.

“What? Branch, my home is Pop Village, you know that!” Cooper laughed, poking Branch in the side.

“Yeah, but you’re a Funk Troll, so you came from here.” Branch replied.

“What are you talking about? I’m a Trollimal, not a Funk Troll.” The pink troll laughed again, but a little less jovial than before.

Branch stared at Cooper, his ears slowly folding back. Delver looked between Cooper and Branch, before slowly standing up. 

“I’m just gonna go check on lunch.” He said, backing out of the room as a tension filled the air.

“Trolli- what are you on about Cooper? King Peppy himself said that you were a Funk Troll when you hatched!” Branch argued.

“But, but he and my mom’s always told me that I was a Trollimal! Are you trying to tell me that they… lied to me?” He whimpered, looking distraught.

Branch stiffened. “That son of a…” He grit his teeth. It was one thing to send him away due to possible danger, but why would King Peppy lie to Cooper about where he was from? Didn’t he deserve to know about his heritage? About his possible family?

He flashed back to when his dad had been fighting King Peppy. It had been hard to focus through the fear, but he thought he remembered his dad yelling something about how there was “always going to be a risk” with him. What… what else was being kept from him? Did he know why he was different, and just choose not to tell him?

Did he have family too?

“Cooper, buddy, listen to me. I don’t think either of us have been told the complete truth about who we are. Now, I don’t have a clue about why I am the way I am, but you, you have a chance to find the answers for yourself! Cooper, we could go to the Funk Troll territory and look for your relatives, hell, maybe even your bio parents!” Branch exclaimed, getting excited. He was sporting Poppy levels of blind optimism, but for once, logic didn’t come to beat him over the head with realism. His mind allowed him this moment of excitement.

Cooper looked at the map, placing a paw on the Pop Village, than slowly sliding it over to Vibe City. He was quiet for a moment.

“Do… do you really think we could find them?” He whispered.

Branch put a paw on Cooper’s back and nodded. “Together.” He said.

Cooper gave him a huge smile and pulled Branch into a hug. Branch stiffened, but soon relaxed and hugged him back, his paws resting on Cooper’s back before he had even realized that he had lowered them. Strangely, he didn't feel scared of cutting the other troll. 

“Together.” Cooper echoed.

Hickory and Delver soon returned to the room, and Branch announced the change in plans. 

“Cooper deserves a chance to try and find his family, even if it means it takes a bit longer to get home.” Branch said.

Hickory looked at the map, humming.

“Well, we could definitely make the trip, but if we do, we won’t make it back to yer village before winter comes and the cold sets in. Once the river freezes, it’ll be too dangerous to travel on, so we’d have to wait till spring.”

“And you’ll have to go through your adult molt away from home, which isn’t safe.” Delver added, setting down a casserole.

“I don’t care. If I had a chance to meet my parents, I’d take it, no matter the risk.” Branch argued.

Hickory sighed. “Are you sure? Don’t you want to go home?”

“Of course I do, but there are wrongs here that must be righted! I can’t go back knowing that Cooper might have a family out there. We might not get another chance.” He insisted.  
Hickory looked at Delver, who stared down Branch before nodding in approval.

"Alright, Hickory can take you to Vibe City, but you'll have to leave soon. Vibe City isn't a normal city, it's actually a ship that flies all over their territory. If you want to find it, you'll have to catch it when it comes close to the border, otherwise you'll have to brave the dangers of Vibrant Planes, and believe me, you don't want to do that." He warned. "But before anything else, we need to discuss your molt, especially since yer family ain't gonna be around to help ya through it."

He looked towards Hickory and Cooper and flicked his tail. "You two should go eat, since this will likely be a might bit embarrassn' for Branch here."

Branch already regretted saying that he didn't know about his molt.

Once the other trollings had left, Delver took a swig of his sweet tea before continuing.

"Now, have you had the 'Talk' yet, son?"

Branch's ears and cheeks flooded with colour as he covered his face with his paws. He groaned and nodded.

"By the Ancestors... yes I've had the 'Talk'. Please don't repeat it sir, it was bad enough with my Dad."

Delver chuckled. "Well that's good, as it makes things easier fer me. Yer adult molt is when all _those_ feelings and urges start to surface. Ya lose yer pup spots, you get yer last big growth spurt, and everything sucks fer about 3 months. I personally remember a lot of leg cramps and shedding, and Willow, who is one of the most timid trolls I've ever met, acted like a feral animal, snapp'n at anything an' everything."

"Oh _joy._ And here I thought puberty couldn't get any better!. Branch cheered sarcastically. This sounded like hell, and for 3 months? How did people not go mad?

"'course that's what Country Trolls experience. Pop Trolls might be completely different, but I reckon the first few points are the same in all trolls." Delver added, his eyebrows raising. "Still wanna spend that out in the middle of nowhere?"

Branch looked over at the map, his eyes trailing from his home forest to the mysterious Funk Troll territory. He considered the consequences of his actions, then nodded firmly, making direct eye contact. He could handle 3 months of disgusting teenage suffrage if it meant that Cooper would get a chance to have a family. Delver nodded again.

"Well, yer either real loyal or real stubborn, but either way, I respect ya fer not going back on yer word." He said, rolling up the map and handing it to Branch. He stood and tucked a few warm blankets around the egg, keeping it from getting too cold while he was away.

"Come on, lets eat. I’ll tell ya more ‘bout what the terrain you’ll be facing while we enjoy some casserole.” He said.

“Will Miss Willow be alright? Should we bring her some?” Branch asked, taking the map.

“I’ll try and get her to have some later, since she usually doesn’t eat ‘till a few hours have passed. These fits are really starting to wear her down. But Mayor Thornbush comes back in a few days, so I pray that she’ll be well soon, especially since our little one will be here any day now.” Delver replied, patting the egg gently.

“Oh wow. You must be really excited.” Branch said, walking beside him as Delver led him to the dining room.

“More than words can describe.”

Around 3 in the afternoon, Delta came by to help Branch and Hickory make harnesses. She took on most of the work, as Hickory and Branch’s muscles were still burning. As they worked, they spoke about how to best go about traveling to Vibe City.

"I'm tellin' ya Delta, we have to go straight across! Goin' around the river will take too long." Hickory argued, tying a knot.

"And I'm tellin' ya you'll drown tryin'. The East river is much too deep. You should just raft down it." Delta said, rolling her eyes at Hickory.

"Nuh uh, no way no how. You know how I feel 'bout them waters." He replied stubbornly.

"Are you serious? Yer still bothered by _him?_ " Delta said exasperatedly.

"YES! That bastard cheated on me!" 

"Hickory, you guys were like 14."

"Irrelevant. Cheatn' is cheatn'."

Branch looked between the two of them confusedly, but stayed silent. This sounded like ex drama, and he wasn't really one to gossip. Plus, it wasn't like he could really offer much advice, as he had never been in a relationship.

"Come on Hickory, Chaz don't bite." Delta insisted.

"Yes he does! His tribe is literally made up of sirens!"

"Wait, really? Y'never mentioned that part." 

"You never asked."

"Why in the world would I ask?!"

Branch coughed lightly, reminding them that he was still there.

"Um, I think we should try Delta's method. We really won't have much time to lose." He said, winding a strip of leather around a metal ring and pulling it tight.  
Hickory snorted disapprovingly, but soon sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But if i hear even one note of smooth jazz, I will lose my shit."

Branch laughed at Hickory's comment and nudged him gently.

"Don't worry, I'll help you beat him up if you want. He sounds awful."

"Oh, he is the absolute _worst!_ I hope he chokes on one of his stupid rose petals!" The ginger snarled, stamping one of his hooves.

Delta and Branch both laughed this time when Hickory's face scrunched up like he had just tasted a lime for the first time. "He's so fuckin' pretentious and fat headed! Used to say that you didn't know love 'till you had "the Chaz experience"." Hickory spat, making air quotation marks.

"Oh my Gods that's terrible!" Branch howled.

"He's even worse in person. I sincerely hope you never have to meet him." Hickory said, shaking his head.

The trio worked into the late afternoon hours, charting a course downriver. Delver and Willow offered their home for them to stay in, as long as they didn't mind sleeping in the living room, as Cooper was currently residing in the guest room while his leg healed. Once the sun started to dip below the horizon, Delta bid them farewell, and Branch and Hickory made themselves comfortable. Branch curled up on a large arm chair that was almost like a couch to him, since it was made for Country Trolls. It certainly wasn't his soft, cozy nest, but it would do.

That night, Branch had the same dream from the previous night, only this time he turned around right away, and saw a terrified Willow standing on shaky legs as she tried to protect her egg from the threats that prowled in the darkness. Cooper was with her, trembling as he held a shovel in his mouth.  
A growl hit his ears, and he turned just in time to see something jump at him. This time around, Branch caught the creature and threw it back into the dark, a snarl escaping his lips. The lanky animal yipped and sprung back onto it's feet, it's long tail making the dust from the ground swirl up to hide its retreating form. Something twinged at the back of his mind, telling him that he knew what these creatures were. He didn't get to ponder it however, as two more lunged at him from his right side, their jaws snapping closed around his leg and side.

Branch startled awake, his mouth open in a soundless scream. He swallowed hard, not liking how realistic the nightmare had been. He looked towards the front door, and noticed a shovel resting there.

_He had not seen the shovel before._

Why did Cooper have that shovel in his dream? Where had Hickory and Delver been? Shouldn't they have been there?

"Branch, you're loosing your godsdamn mind." He whispered, closing his eyes again.

It was far too late for such nonsense. But as he drifted off, he remembered the dream he had before the storm had swept him and Cooper away. His eyes snapped open. He had seen the snake and the storm in his dream, despite having never seen either one before.  
He put a paw on his cheek, feeling the still healing gashes. The Whippertail in his dream had hit the same cheek that the real one had. Had... had the dream... been a warning?  
It sounded crazy, it _was_ crazy, but although he hated to admit it, it was to accurate to write off as simply being a coincidence. However, if that was the case... He looked out a window at the dark night sky and felt a chill run down his spine. 

He didn't like what that could mean for what was to come.


	14. Stormblown: Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me for this chapter guys!

Branch did not mention his realization to anyone the next day. He saw no reason to, and besides, he had no proof. However, the dream stuck in his mind as he and Hickory worked on the well. Even as his arms ached from the digging, he couldn’t shake the feeling of teeth sinking into his flesh. He tried to ignore it, but something buzzed softly at the back of his mind, like a subtle warning sign.

It made him feel uneasy, and every time he came up out of the hole he glanced over his shoulder. After he had repeated the action a few times, Hickory finally noticed.

“Is somethin’ wrong?” He asked, leaning on an old shovel. They had reached a point where the pickaxe was no longer necessary, so he had switched tools.

“It’s nothing, I just… I don’t know. I just have a weird feeling, like something is going to go wrong.” Branch answered.

“I’m sure everythin’s fine. Maybe the heat is gettin’ to ya?” He wondered.

“Yeah, maybe.” Branch said, walking into a patch of shade and flopping down into the cool dirt. He hissed suddenly, sitting up and pressing a paw to his back, before immediately recoiling as he felt a ripple of hot, burning pain.

“Agh! Fuck, my back feels like it’s on fire!” He yelped.

Hickory cantered over and knelt down, gently brushing aside some of Branch’s thick fur. The skin beneath the fur was an angry red colour, and Hickory hissed through his teeth, giving Branch a sympathetic look.

“Aw hell, you’ve got a nasty sunburn there bud. I had figured yer coat would have protected ya, but I guess the sun was too strong. Hold still, I think I saw some aloe vera nearby.” He said, walking away to look for the healing plant.

Branch huffed and slowly pressed himself into the dirt, trying to cool off. He had never experienced a sunburn before, and he never wanted to again. Soon, Hickory returned with a few stiff leaves that dripped with a clear goo. The County Troll folded his legs and squeezed some of the goo onto his paw. Gently, he smeared it onto Branch’s back. The other male hadn’t expected the painful touch, and his head whipped around as he bared his teeth, confused and slightly hurt by Hickory’s action.

“OW! That _hurt!_ ” He snapped.

“Sorry! But this needs to go on your skin so that it can heal faster.” Hickory apologized.

Branch grumbled but didn’t protest further, though he did scratch at the earth with his claws as Hickory applied more of the aloe vera.

“There, all done. Y’ know what? I have an old vest that I think’ll fit you just fine. Should keep ya from gettin’ burned again.” Hickory said, gently patting Branch on the head.

“Thank you.” Branch replied, feeling relieved that some of the pain had subsided.

Hickory hummed in response and fetched some fruit from the cart, giving it to the tired trolling. “Here, lets stop fer now. You need to keep that burn clean, so I’ll go get the rest of that loose dirt out of the hole and then we’ll head back to Mr Delver and Miss Willow’s house, since they were kind enough to invite us to dinner.”

“Do you think the burn will heal by then?”

“Haha, no.”

“Shit.”

Branch followed Hickory into his home as the ginger went to fetch his old vest. He sat on the stone floor, not wanting to get dirt on his friend’s furniture. After around 10 minutes, Hickory returned, pausing for a moment when he saw Branch sitting in the doorway, looking uncomfortable in the sun that was beating down on his back.

“Are you trying to get more burned? Get in here stupid!” He said, beckoning him with his hand.

“But I’m covered in dust.” Branch said, not moving. “I don’t want your stuff to get dirty.”

“Branch, I come in here practically everyday and 90 percent of the time I am covered in dirt ‘n muck. A little bit of dust wont bother me any.” Hickory reassured him.

Branch rose to his feet slowly, padding into the cool house. Hickory kicked the door closed before patting a worn couch with a hoof, and Branch sat down, still feeling a little guilty for getting dust on the worn leather. Hickory handed Branch a green object that had been draped over his arm. Branch took the soft, sturdy item, examining it.

“Here. This will keep the sun of yer back.” Hickory said. “Try it on while I go fetch us some water.”

The vest was made of a sturdy leather that had been dyed a dark green. Thin, leaf shaped pieces of leather decorated it, sporting different shades of green. The wearer would likely be able to camouflage well in a forest, as the vest looked like a cluster of leaves. It reminded him of home.

He slipped his arms through the holes and donned the vest, smiling when he found that it fit him nicely, if a little loose. The fabric was cool, and while it didn’t feel the best on his sunburn, it wasn’t unbearable. Hickory came back holding two glasses, smiling when he saw Branch’s tail wag slightly, a genuine smile on his face.

“Well look at that. Fits you better than it did me.” He said, handing Branch the water.

“I like it, it feels… right.” Branch replied, taking the glass. “Thank you Hickory.”

“Don’t mention it. It suits you, and I’m glad its finally getting used.” The other teen said, sitting on the couch. 

“Whats with the design? I don’t really see many trees around here.” Branch asked, tapping the leather leaves lightly.

“Oh, I’ve had that vest since before I came here. I have a jacket that looks like snow on pine leaves as well.” Hickory explained.

“Wow. Are you sure you want to give this to me? I mean, I don’t want to take something from you that has sentimental value.”

“Nah, keep it. I don’t plan on ever goin’ back to the mountains, so it’s better if you have it.”

Hickory leaned back, cracking his back. He glanced up at the clock and cursed.

“Gods, we were out way longer than I thought! It’s almost dinnertime now, no wonder you got burned.” He exclaimed, jumping off the couch. “C’mon, we better get going, or we’ll be late fer dinner.”

Hickory and Branch finished washing and drying their paws and sat down at the dining table. Willow was already there, as was Delta Dawn. Delver came in and set down a roast. Cooper followed close behind with platters of corn, potatoes, and soft dinner rolls.

“Who’s hungry?” Delver asked.

A chorus of “Me!” rang out from everyone. Delver chuckled, taking a seat. 

“Well, what are y’all waitn’ for? Soup’s on!” 

Everyone dug in, passing the food around. Branch’s ears perked up adorably when he tasted the delectable meal. Willow made a quiet “Awww” noise, and Branch felt the tips of his ears burn as he lowered them, feeling embarrassed. He could hear Delta chuckle, and tried to ignore it as he focused on his dinner.

As the hours wore on, the Country Trolls started to look worried.

“She should have been back by now, where is she?” Willow said softly.

“Who?” Branch questioned, looking up from the book he was reading.

“My mother.” She answered, looking at the dark night sky outside.

“Miss Thornbush? She’s coming back tonight?” Branch asked, following her gaze. It was a cloudy, moonless night, and his night vision only really worked if there was moonlight, so he could only see blackness.

“She’s suppose to, but she’s late.” Willow’s ears fell back a bit. “Ma is never late.”

“I’m sure she’s okay. Maybe she’s just walking slower since it’s so hard to see tonight.” Branch replied, trying to sound comforting.

He didn’t really believe his own words. The feeling of dread had not left him, despite the fact that no danger had presented itself for the entire day. He kept thinking of his dream, and every time he did, his anxiety increased. It was like something was screaming at him to run, and he was choosing to be ignorant and ignore it.

As he lay next to Willow, he saw Hickory beckon him over. He arched a brow and padded over, not liking the grim expression on the other troll’s face.

“What’s up?” He asked. “Are you alright man?”

Hickory didn’t respond for a few seconds, choosing instead to look outside, then back at Branch. “Is that feelin’ of yers still there?” He asked quietly.

Branch was surprised, but nodded. “And it keeps getting worse. Hickory, I think we should leave.” 

Hickory shook his head. “No, I need you to stay here with Willow an’ Cooper. I figured that if that bad feeling you had was still kickin’ around, I’d get Delver and Delta to come with me to look for Mrs Thornbush. I think she might be in trouble.”

Branch’s heart jumped into his throat.

“Hickory, _please,_ don’t go.” He pleaded. “I think that whatever is causing my bad feeling is going to come here. What if something happens while you’re gone?” 

Hickory snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous Branch. Nothin’ is gonna happen to ya, I promise.” He said, patting Branch on the head.

While the earlier head pat had felt friendly, this one felt patronizing. It hurt that Hickory was brushing off his fears, even if he had no reason to think that Branch was in any danger. Branch frowned and pulled away from the head pat, not really wanting to be touched right now. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” He said. The feeling of hurt grew stronger as Hickory rolled his eyes with a smile as he went to go round up Delver and Delta. Branch looked at the shovel near the door, then at Cooper, who was asleep on the couch, a colourful book meant for young trollings slipping out of his grasp. He made a mental note to always know where Cooper was tonight.

“Delta, Delver, I’m headin’ out to go look fer Thornbush. She’s been gone too long, and I just wanna make sure she’s alright. Y’all with me?”

“Of course.” Delta Dawn replied, Delver nodding in agreement beside her.

So the Country Trolls gathered a few lanterns, some ropes, and an old rifle, just in case they did run into trouble. They bid the remaining three trolls goodbye and closed the door as they left, unaware that their actions would have dire consequences.

Not 20 minutes after the others had left did Branch hear something move outside. His ears shot forward as he leapt up, his hackles rising. He stared at the door, his tail lashing back and forth. Willow looked alarmed, her tired eyes going wide.

“Branch? Darlin’, what’s wrong?” She asked, a shiver running through her frail form.

“Something is out there.” He whispered. 

As if drawn by his voice, a thud sounded out as something big jumped up onto the porch. He could hear claws scraping on the old wood, and Branch bared his teeth in fear. Willow made a choked whimper as she stumbled to her hooves, picking up her egg and holding it close. 

“Branch, t-t-take Cooper and my egg and go hide. I- I’ll handle this.” She said in a wavering, fear-filled voice.

Branch wanted to listen. He wanted to let an adult take care of the danger for once. He wanted to be able to tuck his tail and run to the safety of a dark hiding place. But he knew that he couldn’t. He had seen how this was destined to go down, and if he ran now, they would all die before daybreak.

“No, Miss Willow, you need to find somewhere safe for yourself and your egg. COOPER!” He yelled the sleeping trolling’s name loudly, waking him up. Branch nudged Willow towards the living room before quickly fetching the shovel.

“Cooper, catch!” He called, tossing the tool. Cooper fumbled with it, sleep still clinging to him.

“Branch, what’s going on?!” He asked, screaming when something started scratching the door, sharp yowls ringing out.

“Ancestors help us.” Willow whimpered, her chest heaving as she started to cough again. Her legs folded and she barely managed to angle herself so that she fell onto her large pillow, her egg slipping slightly. Cooper quickly dropped the shovel and eased the egg down, placing it at her side. He grabbed the shovel once more and stood in front of the weakened Country Troll, trying to put on a brave face even as his legs trembled.

Branch swallowed his own fear and threw the door open, his back paw swinging forward and kicking something. A thin, lanky mass flew back into the darkness. Overhead, the lantern glowed dimly, the light only reaching the porch’s edge. Branch needed to keep the door open so that he could see the oncoming attackers, even if it meant that there was a greater risk of whatever was out here being able to get inside. 

A figure crept in the darkness, looking for an opportunity to strike. As it came close to the light, he caught a flash of yellow eyes and dirty, dull fur. Almost… dust coloured.

‘Oh no.’ Branch’s stomach twisted as he realized that he did know what these creatures were.

_“We call ‘em dust dogs fer a few reasons. First one bein’ that their fur is the colour of desert dust, a nasty gray-brown combo. The second is that they can use their long tails to make a kind of miniature dust storm. It’s near impossible to tell the difference between the dust and them, and that’s how they get’cha.” Hickory explained._

_“What do they do?” Branch asked._

_“They circle ya, tiring ya out ‘till you can’t fight no more. Then they tear into ya. They’ll eat ya alive if they see fit.”_

Branch remembered Hickory telling him about the dust dogs when they had been walking back to town after stamping out the egg nabbers. If they could take down the animals that lived around here, it terrified Branch to think of what they would do to him. He heard a slight shift in front of him and he instinctively reached his paw up just in time to catch the animal as it leapt at him. He closed his fist around it's neck and threw it as hard as he could at the ground. He could feel his more primal instincts taking hold, and he fought to keep a balance. If he gave in, there was a chance he would forget about the trolls he was trying to forget and just throw himself into the darkness to try and fight back the dogs, but he needed the more brutal actions that accompanied his wild side right now. 

Usually, if he ever encountered a critter in the woods, he'd either scare it off or run. He had loathed using violence, and had only ever snapped fully once in his 4 years of self exile. It had been when a rouge male Cuddle Pup had decided that a group of young trollings that had been close to the forest edge would make a good snack. The carnivore had almost reached them before Branch, who had been on his daily patrol around his territory, spotted it. He had reacted violently, throwing himself at the Cuddle Pup and biting it on the ear. He had tricked the creature into following him deeper into the forest, away from the trollings and the rest of the Pop Village. While he hadn't killed the thing in the end, he did tear up it's nose and lips quite a bit, and there was a good chance that its injuries had never fully healed.

But now, mercy was not an option if he wanted to live. He knew that if he simply tossed the dust dog, it would spring back to it's feet. So instead he had broken it's neck, hoping that it might deter the other pack members. However, this was not the case, as he caught movement on his right. He remembered what was coming, and braced for it, his claws catching one of the dogs and sending it crashing into the other. 

From that point on, Branch had no idea what he was up against. Behind him, he heard a gasp and a sharp cracking sound. He paled when he realized what was happening. Willow's egg was hatching. Tonight.

On instinct, he kicked the door shut, sacrificing his own safety so that the little pup that hatched wouldn't have to worry about what prowled just beyond the old oak door. Immediately the amount of light Branch had to work with was lessened, and he found himself becoming more and more afraid as hungry eyes stared at him from the blackness.  
One of the dogs went for his tail, and when Branch turned to swat it, another one grabbed his hand and pulled him into the dark. He shouted as he hit the dirt, his night vision useless without the moon's pearly glow. The dog's had him right where they wanted him. Still, Branch wasn't about to give up. He growled at the shapes that moved in the lightless space, lashing out with teeth and claws. He put up a good fight, taking out at least 3 more dust dogs. But he was at an unfair advantage. His muscles were still hurt from his work on the well, he couldn't see, and every touch to his back sent waves of pain rolling through him. He couldn't win this fight. He could feel teeth tearing at his arm and leg, hot blood matting his fur as it poured freely from the wounds.

Finally, one of the dogs went for the kill. It clamped it's jaws shut around Branch's neck, trying to rip it open. However, due to his thick ruff, it couldn't quite puncture his major artery. Branch screamed and ripped the animal off him, his breathing coming in gurgling wheezes as blood began to gush from the tears in his throat. The blow had forced him onto the ground, and he could do nothing but lay there, fighting for air as the dogs converged near his stomach. He managed to weakly kick a few away, but the blood loss was getting to him. He shut his eyes tight as he felt hot, rancid breath hit his neck, knowing that the dog had come to finish the job.

'At least this way, they'll leave the others alone." He thought, waiting for the feeling of jaws around his neck.

It never came.

"GIT THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM YA DEVILS!"

A loud BANG that sounded like thunder in Branch's ear rang out, and the dogs yelped in fear. The one that had been about to go for his neck again was frozen in place, it's eyes wide as it looked up at the figure, just in time to see two hooves come down on top of it. 

A tall, imposing Country Troll snarled at what dogs remained, her hooves now stained crimson. She stood over Branch protective, daring the starved animals to try something. They were wise enough to flee, however, and thus she watched as they scampered away, their long tails tucked between their legs.  
Once they were gone, she immediately dropped down and started putting pressure on Branch's wound. He whimpered and tried to weakly pull away, but the elderly mare held him in place with little effort.

"Stay with me little one. I know it hurts but you can get through it." She comforted.

After only a few moments, Branch could hear galloping. Through his blurry, upside down vision, he could make out Hickory and Delver as they approached. Delver was holding the old rifle in his paws, the barrel having long since stopped smoking. Hickory nearly tripped when he saw the state of his friend, and he was quickly by Branch's side, his eyes full of tears. Delver and Delta noticed as well, both trolls skidding to a stop as they realized that the earth around the porch was soaked in blood in many places.

"Branch! Branch I am so, _so_ sorry! I should have listened to you when you said that the danger was here, I feel so stupid!" He cried, cradling his dying friend, not caring that his own fur was turning a muddy red.

"Hic- hic the eggg." Branch wheezed out, summoning the rest of his strength to flick his tail towards the door. Hickory didn't move from his spot but instead called out to Delver.

"He's- he's saying somethin' about the egg!" Hickory said, his sobs causing him to choke slightly on his words.

Delver snapped out of his horrified trance and rushed into the house, only to yell and stumble back, a loud THWACK sound coming from within. He was holding up his foreleg, cursing as it started to bleed. Cooper instantly rushed out, apologizes spilling from his mouth.

"Oh my Gods Mr Delver I am so sorry! It's just I thought you were one of those aaAUGH!" Cooper's words turned into a horrified scream as he saw the state Branch was in. The wounds caused by the Whippertail were the worst injuries Cooper had ever seen in his sheltered life, so seeing his friend, the one who had risked his life to save him twice now, bleeding from horrific bite marks on his neck, shook him to the core. He was frozen in place, his knees turning inward as he quivered.

Delta snapped out of her own shock and pulled him into the house after Delver had recovered, the older male moving quickly inside. Thornbush pushed Hickory's shaking hands onto Branch's wounds as she reached into a hide knapsack that rested on her back. She produced a roll of gauze and quickly wrapped it around Branch's neck, the fabric turning crimson. The gray trolling coughed, a horrible, wet sound that ended in him spitting out a mouthful of blood. The mayor of Lonesome Flats gently began wrapping the less serious bites, knowing that she would need to take them off soon to clean the injuries. 

Hickory's ears were down as far as he could go as he helped Branch lean on his lower half, trying to keep him upright and awake. "It's alright, you're going to be alright. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He repeated, tears dripping down his cheeks.

The sound of hoofsteps on wood caught their attention, and even Branch managed to raise his head as Delver approached the door, a happy, tearful look on his face as he held a small, squeaking baby with light ginger hair, blue fur and a spotted gray lower half. The infant’s long, skinny legs were curled up close to it’s body, a tiny tail flicking lightly.  
“Thornbush, meet yer granddaughter, Clampers.” He said, kneeling slightly.

The old mare blinked, her eyes becoming misty. Hickory looked up at the little creature, smiling despite his panic. He nudged Branch slightly. “Look Branch, there’s the life you saved tonight.” He said softly, his voice still wavering.

Branch peered up at the baby, smiling when he saw wide, purple-gray eyes open and stare up at her father.

“Congrats, it’s a tiny horse!” He cheered, definitely not in the best state of mind. His consciousness started to slip as he slumped against Hickory’s lower half, the blood loss finally taking him down.

He could hear voices telling him to stay awake, but he really didn’t care. His world was one of throbbing pain and blurred vision, and he just wanted to go to sleep. Finally, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep, dreamless state of unconsciousness.


	15. Stormblown: Part 7

It took a week for Branch to awaken.

During that time, a very guilt riddled Hickory watched over him, the loyal Country Troll becoming very overly protective of his friend. Branch was sort of like a little brother to him, so he felt like it was his responsibility to keep him safe when he could not defend himself. This made things difficult when anyone aside from Cooper, Delta, Willow, Delver and Thornbush had to fight to approach whenever they tried to come within 5 feet of Branch and his watchful guardian.

Clover, Thornbush's assistant, had tried to get close to Branch to change his bandages when he had thought that Hickory was asleep. Needless to say, things had gone south when he had realized that the ginger had certainly not been asleep. Clover had run from Hickory's home so fast that he had tripped off the porch and had refused to go back in when Thornbush told him to man up.

"No way! That boys' more frightnen' than a lightnin' storm when he's like this. You'll have to be the one to care fer that Rock Troll."

"Pop."

"Pardon?"

"He's a Pop Troll 'parently, according to Delta at least." Thornbush said, swiping the first aid kit from Clover.

"Really? But he's so... wild looking." Clover said, glancing back at the shut door of the house.

"I know, I think there's somethin' more to his story, but fer now I'm just focusing on keeping him breathing. There'll be time for questioning later." She replied, heading inside without a trace of fear.

Hickory had tensed when he heard the front door swing open, his body activating the "fight" part of his fight or flight instinct. He calmed, however, when he saw that it was Willow who had entered his living room. She stomped forward and before Hickory could react, she had given him a sharp kick to the rump.

"Ow! What was that fer?!" He yelped.

"For behaving like a rattler who's tail has been trodden on. Honestly Hickory, Clover was only trying to help." Thornbush sighed, kneeling as she began to unwrap the bandages around Branch's limbs. She hummed in approval when she saw no signs of infection on the wounds. They looked very painful, but they would scar and fade in time. She would check the ones on his neck later, as she would need to gather some pain numbing paste for when she had to stitch up the gashes.

Hickory pouted and crossed his legs. "I don't know him well enough to trust 'im with this. If his injuries hadn't been so bad, it wouldn't be a problem." He sighed, looking at all the different bandaged areas. "But he was so close to slippin' away, and, well, I know that you'll do the best job. I just don't want to lose anyone else."

Thornbush finished tying up the gauze around Branch's neck before looking up at Hickory."You really care about this boy, but you haven't known him fer more than a week or so. Why is that?"

Hickory thought about that for a minute. "I guess... It's because we just clicked so well. We both needed a friend, and he's a real pure soul. He's had a tough life, and I really hope some good things start comin' his way."

Thornbush nodded. "Delta told me a few things, like how you an' him are almost done diggin' a new well. How the hell did you manage that?” She asked. “That kind of work should have taken a month at least.”

Hickory smiled and held up one of Branch’s paws, showing off the large claws that he sported. “’s all in the claws. He’s like a damn wolverine.”

Thornbush looked at Branch’s paw, taking it and examining it.

“They don’t retract.” She murmured, gently tucking his paw back where it had been before.

“So?” Hickory asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Pop Troll’s have retractable claws, it helps ‘em climb trees.” She explained, looking at Branch. “So he ain’t a Pop Troll, or at least, not entirely.”

Hickory’s ears drooped slightly. “Oh boy, that’s… not gonna go over too well. Tellin’ him that is gonna open up a whole can ‘a worms.” 

"We shouldn't tell 'im right away then. Give the poor boy some time to recover first then find a way to break it to him kindly if the news is gonna upset him." The mayor said, packing up her medical supplies. She looked at Hickory, her gaze firm. "C'mon. You've been in here far too long, come get some sun."

"But what if he wakes up? I need to be here." Hickory said, not wanting to go.

"Now, Hickory. I ain't askin'." She said, exiting the house.

Hickory huffed disapprovingly but did get to his hooves, his steps slow as he forced himself out of his house. He looked over at Branch's sleeping form one more time before he left.

'Just a quick walk, maybe to go see Campers. Just a quick visit, in an' out. Nothin's gonna happen to him.' He thought to himself, closing the door.

Branch felt himself become conscious, his body stiff and sore. His throat felt sticky, and his mouth tasted metallic. His eyelids felt like they had weights attached to them as he tried to open his eyes, the world seeming slightly blurry and unfocused. He rubbed at them, trying to clear away the last remnants of sleep. His entire body ached as he fought to get up, and he hissed in pain when he felt parts of him flare with a throbbing pain. His neck was itchy and felt like it was on fire, but when he reached up to scratch at it, his claws were blocked by... gauze?

"Mnn- wha?" He managed to get out, swallowing hard. He needed to get some water.

He didn't understand why his neck was bandaged, nor why he was so sore. His mind was fuzzy, and memories of what might have happened refused to come to him. He thought he remembered a dim circle of light, pain, and then blackness, but his brain was so scrambled he couldn't be sure.

Slowly, as to not aggravate the wounds he didn't remember getting, Branch staggered to his paws, managing to get himself upright. His head was pounding, and his vision swam as he turned to look at the clock above the couch. He cursed when he saw that it was nearly noon. 

'Shit. Hickory was supposed to get me up hours ago! Did he leave to go work on the well already?'

Something nagged at him that his thoughts weren't quite right, that he should lay down and rest. But he still had a job to do, so he grit his teeth, pushed down the nearly crippling pain, and headed for the door. 

Once he was outside, the heat of the day hit him full force. The sun showed him no mercy as it beat down on him from it's place in the piercing blue sky. His strength faltered, and he stumbled, just managing to catch himself before he fell. His neck burned, and he wanted nothing more than to go back inside. However, he seemed incapable off movement now, and he could feel himself slipping as his paws began to slide out from under him. He must have made some sort of noise, because through his bleary line of sight he could just make out a figure pausing mid-step before rushing over to him. Sturdy arms caught him before he could hit the ground, and he heard a deep, growly voice yell something to someone he couldn't see.

Soon, his vision was filled with black and white as another figure came into view, their monochromatic paint splatter pattern wavering slightly. He felt himself being guided back inside, his paws just barely being able to carry him. His saviors placed him gently on the couch, one of them rushing away somewhere. He pressed his cheek into the worn fabric, taking in the scent of leather and a warm, sunny day.  
A cool cloth was placed on his head, and he felt nervous paws touch the bandages around his neck. He growled instinctively, his teeth bared as he tried to dissuade whomever was trying to touch him. His vision was blurry, so very blurry, but he thought he saw a Country Troll standing above him.

'A friend.' He thought, stopping his hostile actions.

"That's right, I'm a friend. My name is nurse Clover." The troll said, taking Branch's paw. He hadn't realized that he had been speaking aloud.

"Branch, do you remember what happened to you?" He asked, kneeling down.

Branch tried to speak, to tell Clover that no, he didn't remember, but no sound came out.

"Aw hell, he's probably too dehydrated to speak. Pete, quick, gimme some water."

The other troll, who Branch thought he recognized, nodded and ran into another room. Clover's paws returned, and this time Branch did not protest. As the bandages were pulled away, he heard Clover hissed in alarm, a sound that, even in his delirious state, Branch could tell meant something was terribly wrong with his neck.

"Fuck! Pete, forget th' water! We need Mayor Thornbush!" He yelled, and Branch folded his ears back, the loud noise making the pounding in his head worsen.

The plum skinned troll quickly set the water down and, upon seeing what Clover was looking at, paled and rushed out the door, his hooves clattering against the wooden floorboards. Clover took the water and helped Branch sit up, obviously trying to avoid looking at the young male's neck. He helped him drink some down, Branch's body responding instinctively to the life giving liquid.

"There, there, you're gonna be alright. The mayor will patch you up in no time, and then you'll be all fixed!" Clover soothed, laying Branch back down as he rummaged through his first aid kit.

"Wusss wrong with me?" Branch managed to hiss, his throat still feeling raw and sticky.

"Nothing, just a little, uh, fever is all. Don't worry." Clover said, not meeting Branch's gaze.

Branch knew that Clover was lying to him on some level, but his muddled thoughts made it hard to think. His eyes flicked towards the bandages that had come off his neck, and shuddered when he saw the mix of greenish-white and red that stained them. A hazy, half forgotten memory of his dad teaching him about infected wounds resurfaced, and suddenly he became very aware of a sickish smell that seemed to permeate the air. He reached a paw up to his neck, but Clover pushed it back down.

"AHhh don't touch that! Just keep yer paw on the couch, alright?" He said quickly.

Branch might have tried again, but a sudden BANG interrupted him. Thornbush came into view, her slightly wrinkled face looking angry and scared. 

"Fuckin' hell don't you dare die on me now!" She cursed, quickly pulling out a large brown bag. Hickory was there too, looking pale and panicked. He tried to step closer, but Clover and Growley Pete kept him back, practically shoving him out of his own home.

"What's wrong with 'im?! Let me go! Thornbush!" He yelled, thrashing.

Growley Pete held the smaller Country Troll's arms so that he couldn't try and land a punch. While Hickory was usually very friendly, he became a different troll when he hadn't been eating or sleeping well and he felt like his best friend was going to die. 

Branch tried to get up and help his friend, not understanding that Clover and Pete were only trying to help. Thornbush, however, wasn't having it, and promptly stuck a needle into Branch's neck, a clear purple liquid flowing into him. Branch tried to claw her, as the injection had hurt quite a bit and he wasn't in his right mind, but found that his limbs felt like rocks had been tied to them. He soon felt the world slipping away again, and darkness rushed up to greet him.

Thornbush pulled out the syringe full of sedatives and painkillers and got to work. The wound on Branch's neck had become infected, and it needed her immediate attention. She got some disinfectant and a cloth and went to work, cleaning away the puss and blood. After the surface layer was cleared away, Thornbush thoroughly squeezed the remaining puss out, not wanting to miss any. Once that was done she applied a generous amount of a special anti-bacterial mixture she had made, making sure that she got it all over the wound. 

Next she prepared a needle and thread, and, after disinfecting the needle, began to sew the ragged bite marks closed. Her stitches were neat and precise, and soon the holes were closed up tight. That only solved half the problem, however, as Branch still had a raging fever. She ground up some yarrow, meadowsweet and feverfew and made a tea out of it. While the crushed plants steeped, she ran a lukewarm bath. Once Branch was in she'd gradually add cold water so she didn't send him into shock.

She fetched another syringe from her bag and injected it's contents into Branch, grabbing a mug and pouring the medicinal tea into it as she waited for Branch to wake. Once she saw him start to twitch and move, she gently patted him on the cheek, trying to wake him up faster.

"C'mon sugar, let's bring that fever of yers down, yeah?" She said, bringing the mug to his lips. His dehydrated body took it gratefully, despite the bitter taste.

Branch's eyes fluttered briefly, his body slowly becoming more responsive. Thornbush helped him into the bathroom, lifting him up and settling him into the water. He jolted slightly, before sighing and sinking down. She gently poured the water over his head, her skilled paws washing the fur on his neck without aggravating the wounds. She removed the other bandages and washed the other cuts and bites as well. Soon, Branch became much more alert, and managed to sit up on his own. The gray trolling popped his joints, hissing when he felt his injuries protest his movements.

"What happened? Everything's fuzzy." Branch asked, splashing some of the cool water onto the space behind his ears.

"You almost died fightin' off a pack of right nasty dust dogs. Usually, they don't try and break into our homes, but hunger and thirst can drive any creature to madness. You are very lucky to be alive right now." The mayor replied, getting a fluffy towel.

"Dust dogs... wait, is everyone alright?! Did they get in?" He asked worriedly, trying to stand up. Thornbush caught him before he could slip and helped him out, letting him wrap the towel around himself.

"They're all okay, thanks to you." She said, before sighing softly. "Little one, I must confess that when I first saw you, I was was very concerned that you might be dangerous, and for a moment, I considered letting the Whippertail venom take ya. I judged you by looks alone, and that was wrong of me. You are one of the kindest souls I have ever met, and you didn't deserve what happened to you. I am truly sorry Branch."

Branch blinked, his expression one of surprise. "You know... I think that you're the first adult in years to apologize to me for something that they did wrong." He said softly, unconsciously reaching up to touch the cuts on his cheek that were still healing.

Thornbush's eyes were soft as she led him out of the bathroom. "That's just about the saddest thing I've heard in a while. Are you not angry?"

"Angry? Why would I be angry? You apologized, and you helped me even when you thought that I might have been a threat." He paused, his eyes becoming distant. "That's... a first for me. I don't know if anyone in my village aside from my friends and family who would have done that."

"Yes, Hickory mentioned that you weren't being treated right there." Thornbush murmured. "Here, sit, I have something for you."

She sat Branch down on the couch and reached into her bag, retrieving a small pouch. It was made of a worn leather, but the drawstring was a brilliant goldish orange colour. Branch cocked his head slightly, looking confused.

"Willow, Delta and I all had a talk, and we all agree that you deserve to have this." She said, handing it to him. He opened it and emptied the contents into his palm. A sturdy, oak ring that had an iron circle welded onto it. In the center of the circle was a gold horseshoe and three long triangles that resembled sunbeams. It felt slightly heavy in Branch's paw, and he could almost feel a sort of power resonating within the ring. It felt oddly familiar, and he reached for the ring that Trollex had given him all those years ago. The two were similar in size, and he felt the same power coming from the Techno ring.

"Heh, so ya do know what it is." Thornbush said, bemused.

"Ma'am, this is-" He choked on his words. "Isn't this ring extremely important? Like, only one exists? I don't, I don't deserve this!" He said, trying to hand it back to her. Thornbush shook her head and closed his paw around the ring.

"Yes you do. Branch, we may not still use titles like King and Queen, but me and my family are descendants of the royal Country Troll bloodline. You not only worked to create a well that would save our town, but you risked your own life to save my daughter and granddaughters, despite only barely knowing them." She put her paw on his shoulder. "Son, you have more than earned a place among my people. If you wish, you may stay here, and make Lonesome Flats your new home. There is ancient magic in these rings, and it is powerful if you know how to use it. You could be like us, hooves and all."

Branch looked at the ring, his eyes wide as he considered her offer. Acceptance? Community? That's what he had been seeking since he was 10 years old. He could be happy here, couldn't he?

Images of a happy, bright pink troll flashed across his mind, followed by happy memories of him playing with his friends. He thought of his father and brother as well, and that's when he knew that he couldn't stay.

"As much as I would love to stay, I can't. My heart belongs somewhere else, and I wouldn't be happy here without my friends and family. Besides, they need to know that me and Cooper are alive." He said, tucking the rings away.

"Very well, but you will still always be welcome here. Never forget that." She said, pulling him into a gentle hug.

Branch hugged the elder troll back, leaning into her warm embrace. She reminded him of his own grandmother, and he welcomed the matriarch's affection.

"C'mon, lets go fetch Hickory before he kills poor Clover or Pete." Thornbush chuckled.

Around 2 months later, Branch stood on the edge of town, a bag full of supplies sitting comfortably on his back. His injuries had healed enough for him to be fit for travel, and since Cooper's leg had healed fully, the two were finally ready to set out for Vibe City. Hickory was saying goodbye to Delta Dawn, and Cooper was trying to stop crying as he hugged Delver, Willow and Clampers, who had grown quickly. The young Country Troll adored Branch and Cooper, and spent every moment she could playing with them. Cooper was an excellent playmate, as he was still a young child himself. They would play cowboys and monsters, Clampers often riding Cooper into battle against the dreaded tumbleweeds that were so obviously plaguing the town.

Branch, although not as enthusiastic as Cooper, was still fun to be around, since he would tell her stories. She fell asleep to tales of pink princesses and forest critters. He never once brought up the bergens however, as he didn't want to scare her. But her favourite story of all was one that Branch didn't tell her, since it seemed a bit egotistical to him.   
Her mother and Cooper often told her a child friendly version of the night she was born, and how the trolling had fought back the monsters that had threatened to gobble them up. It definitely made the mischievous filly think twice about wandering too far from home, especially at night. Sometimes, she would ask Branch about the scars on his body, but he always told her the same thing, that he had just been unlucky in life, and that she should always be careful around sharp things.

Saying goodbye to her had been hard, but he had managed to get her to calm down a bit when he explained why they were leaving. He told her that Cooper was going to go look for his family, and that he himself had a family that was waiting for him to come back home. He had explained that the princess from his stories that she adored so much was actually real, and that she had been one of his best friends, and that he missed her a lot.

That wasn't a lie. He really did miss Poppy, and he wanted to make sure that her and the rest of his friends were okay. As he waited for his companions to be ready, he thought about how much they might have changed. Poppy would have lost quite a few spots by the time he got back, and Creek and Biggie might have lost all of theirs. He wondered how big Guy had gotten, and how many milestones he had missed. He also wondered if they would recognize him with how scarred up he was. He hoped that they would, because he wasn't sure he could go back to being alone. Being around Copper and Hickory for so long had reawakened his need for companionship, and he had learned enough to no longer fear hurting them. He was still dangerous, and although he didn't know why he was so different, he knew that he wouldn't hurt them anymore.

"Branch, you ready?" A warm, southern voice called.

Hickory and Cooper walked over to where Branch had been sitting in the shade. He nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I was just waiting for you guys. Are you two ready?" 

Hickory held up a map that he had been holding. "Yup. If we stay on course, we'll reach the river before sundown. We can make camp and, eugh, raft down the river in the mornin'."

"Road trip!" Cooper cheered, practically dancing in place. Branch and Hickory laughed.

"Road trip!" They yelled, setting off without looking back.


	16. A/N

Hey y'all! I know you're waiting for an update and I just want to thank you for being so patient. I aimed to have the next chapter out last weekend but due to my laptop deciding to randomly become unusable, I'll need to wait till i can get a new one to finish writing the chapter. Hold out a bit longer guys an update is coming!


	17. On the boat again, I can't wait to get on the boat again~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited next chapter!

Branch huffed as he lifted a log onto his shoulders, the heavy weight putting strain on his bad leg. He walked over to where Hickory was working and set the log down, being careful not to accidentally drop it onto his paws. 

“Almost done?” He asked the ginger troll next to him.

“Yep. As soon as Cooper brings back some more vines I can finish tying those logs you brought to the boat, and then we’ll be crusin’.” Hickory replied, smiling at his friend.

“Great, I can’t wait to get going. Do we have everything?”

“Lets see… food?”

“Check.”

“Water?”

“Check.”

“Weapons?”

Branch smiled and picked up a small knife from a basket that had been placed on the raft earlier. “Check.”

“Good. I don’t know what we’ll encounter beyond Lonesome Flats, so we need to be ready.” Hickory said, kicking a rock into the water.

“Do you think we’ll run into Chaz?” Branch asked, rolling the logs into place.

“If we do, I will throw myself off of this raft.” The ginger grumbled.

Branch laughed before turning back to go and try and find some sticky sap to help keep the raft together. Soon, Cooper returned with a long length of vine wrapped around his neck, and Hickory was able to finish the raft within an hour. Together, they shoved the raft into the river and climbed aboard, cheering as they finally began their journey. Cooper settled down at the edge of the raft and splashed the water with his feet while Branch and Hickory steered the raft in the right direction.

“Wow, I can’t believe we’re finally going! I’m so excited to see Vibe City.” Branch said, his tail flicking happily. “I wonder what their music is like.”

“Probably upbeat. Maybe it’ll be like Pop music?” Hickory wondered aloud.

“I hope not. I hope it’s completely different!” Branch replied, looking over at where Cooper was. “But I want to find Cooper’s family most of all. It’s not fair that he’s been lied to his whole life about where he came from. I’ll be having a real long talk with King Peppy when we get back…” Branch trailed off, a growl in his voice. Hickory shifted nervously, remembering what he had to talk to Branch about.

“About that… Branch there’s somethin’ I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.” He said, scratching at the back of his neck. This would not be an easy conversation, but it was a necessary one.

“Um, okay.” Branch said, crossing his legs and giving Hickory his full attention. “What is it?”

Hickory took in a deep breath. “Do you remember that day when we went and stomped out those egg nabbers, y’know, back when we first met?” He asked, looking at Branch. The other male nodded.

“Yeah, why?”

“Well… do ya also happen to remember the conversation we had after we was done?” He asked tentatively.

Branch thought for a minute before he stiffened, pulling away slightly. “Why are you bringing this up again Hickory?”

Hickory bit his lip. “Well, Miss Thornbush an’ I were lookin’ ya over when you were hurtin’ after yer fight with the dust dogs, and she pointed out that yer claws don’t retract.” 

“So?” Branch asked defensively, his tail curling around himself.

“Did you ever know _anyone_ in yer village that didn’t have retractable claws? Or that had big ol’ fangs and immense strength like you do?” Hickory questioned, already knowing the answer.

Branch squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his ears, hugging his knees to his chest. 

“No. Not a single one of them was like me.” He whispered, finally admitting aloud what he had always known but had refused to acknowledge. “Because… I’m not like them, am I Hickory?”

The older troll slowly shook his lowered head. “No, you ain’t. Yer part Pop, part… somethin’ else. Personally, I think you’ve got some Rock Troll flowin’ through yer veins.”

“...What are they like?” Branch asked in a quiet, raspy voice. He didn’t raise his head, but his ears had raised halfway.

Hickory hummed. “Rock Trolls? From what I’ve heard and read, they’re one of the more wild tribes. They live in inactive volcanic tunnels and eat mainly meat. Their music is the loudest kind, and it’s split into two categories, Hard Rock and Soft Rock. They’re real good fighters an’ diggers, which is why I think you might be part one.”

Branch raised his head slowly, a contemplative look on his face. “Huh. Well, aside from the loud music part, they don’t sound too bad. Do you… think we could swing by their territory on the way back from Vibe City?”

Hickory smiled and patted Branch on the back. “Sure buddy. You feel alright? That’s a lot to take in.” 

Branch gave a weak nod before staring off into the distance. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking about how I’m gonna go about confronting King Peppy and my Dad. They knew my parents, so they must have known about what I was.” He furrowed his brow, a look of anger overtaking his face. “Wait. That means that… they _knew_ what was going with me the whole time!” 

He stood up and began to angrily pace. Hickory moved out of the way as both he and Cooper watched their friend’s anger bubble to the surface. Hickory suddenly regretted telling Branch this information when they had limited room to back up.

“That son of a bitch knew what was going on and yet he still let me go out and live in the forest by myself! I spent years in horrible isolation because I was terrified of something that I had no way of understanding! Do you know how scary it is to be alone with nothing but your thoughts for 4 years?! There was a few times where I considered just ending it all because I was so sad and lonely, and now I find out that all of that could have been prevented if someone had just bothered to tell me why I was different!” Branch raged, stomping back and forth, his tail lashing as he snarled and growled. Hickory and Cooper’s eyes widened at Branch’s last sentence, but before either of them could mention it, Branch let out a hoarse, pain filled scream.

“I’m so tired of being kept in the dark! I just want things to go back to the way before all of the bullshit happened!” He cried, shoving his face into his forearms as he gripped at his hair. He sank to the floor in exhaustion, his body shaking. 

“I just… want my friends back. I want my family back. I- I miss them. Why didn’t anyone try and help me?” He whispered.

He was crying now, years of bottled up emotions having finally torn him apart. Hickory recovered from his shock and quickly moved to his broken friend’s side, pulling him into a hug. Cooper followed suit, laying his head on top of Branch’s own. Tears had welled up in his eyes as the truth of how Branch really felt finally came into the light, and he felt very guilty for not noticing before. The trio laid together, letting a comfortable silence come over them, only occasionally being broken by a sniffle or hiccup as they floated downstream.

Cooper’s ears twitched as the sound of splashing water reached his ears. He raised his head and rubbed at his eyes, his soft paws obscuring his vision for a moment. Something knocked against the raft, causing chilly water to slosh onto the small group. 

“Heugh- what! I’m up, I’m up!” Hickory mumbled, having been startled awake. Branch sat up as well, having only been woken up by Hickory’s sudden movement.

“What happened? Is everyone okay?” He asked, noticing that Cooper and Hickory’s fur was wet.

“Something rocked the boat.” Cooper whimpered, trying to wring some of the water out of his ears.

Hickory’s face wrinkled and he got up, stomped over to the side of the raft, and peered into the swiftly moving water. A few seconds passed, before his ears shot back and he dropped down like a rock, plunging his hands into the river. He started cursing as he fought with something below the water’s surface, and after a good 30 seconds of struggle, Hickory hauled something up and onto the solid wood base of the raft.  
The solid mass coughed in surprise, water sputtering out of gills that lay on the mass’s neck. Long, raspberry-coloured hair covered the bluish-purple face and neck of a kind of troll that neither Branch nor Copper had ever seen before. A long tail that ended in a pointed fluke was being gripped by Hickory, who looked livid.

“You yellow-bellied bastard! I oughta stomp yer tail so hard it breaks.” Hickory growled, pressing a forehoof into the troll’s tailbone.

“OwowOW! Easy baby! I-I did not know this was your watercraft.” The other troll sputtered, yelping when Hickory dug his hoof in harder.

“Uh, Hickory is that…?” Branch gestured questioningly at the pained troll on the ground. Hickory laughed humorlessly.

“Fellas, meet my ex, Chaz.” He spit the name out like it had left a bad taste in his mouth. “An’ fer the record, I ain’t yer fuckin’ baby.”

“This is the dick that cheated on you?” Branch asked, frowning. Chaz rolled his eyes.

“Are you still mad about that? Ack!” Hickory smashed a hoof into Chaz’s back, hard enough that it would bruise.

“YES! But that ain’t the only reason I’m pissed. You were just tryin’ to eat my friends!” He snorted, his ears flat against his head.

“I didn’t know they were with you! I’m sorry!” Chaz apologized, his ears drooping down.

“If I see you come near us again, I swear to Canyon Cash himself, I will grab you by yer stupid hair ‘n bash yer fuckin’ head in! Understand?” Hickory snarled.

“Completely.” Chaz sniffed, jumping off the raft as soon as Hickory released him, hissing as his injured tail brushed against the logs. 

Hickory huffed and turned back towards Branch and Cooper, who both looked shocked. 

“Wait, he wanted to eat us?! But we’re not food!” Cooper cried.

“You are to him. Almost all of the aquatic troll tribes eat, or did eat, other trolls.” Hickory explained, settling down again. It was just past midday, and they would need to eat soon, but he felt exhausted after his encounter with Chaz.

“Gross! Why would they do that?” Branch hissed, sticking out his tongue. Hickory shrugged.

“I don’t know. Maybe we taste good to them.”

“Hmm.” Branch hummed. He fished out the Ancestral Ring that Trollex had given him and held it in his paw. Did… did Trollex eat trolls? He didn’t seem like the troll eating type, but perhaps he had changed over the years. Branch hoped he was one of the ones that didn’t, as he wasn’t sure their friendship could survive if Trollex saw him as a potential snack. Memories of his time in the Troll Tree bubbled up, but he shoved them back down.

Putting the ring back, he stretched out his legs and got up. He didn’t feel hungry now, but he had been before he had fallen asleep, so he knew that he should eat. He grabbed a few pieces of buffalo jerky and a biscuit, not especially excited to be eating such bland foods. He had become accustomed to eating fresh food, and he was sure his body wouldn’t take too kindly to being forced into eating food that had to be well preserved for their journey.

Tearing into a strip of jerky, he walked up to the upper level and examined their map. It would take them about three days to reach Vibe City if they only stopped when it was absolutely necessary, then it would just be a matter of finding out how to access the flying city.

Taking another bite, his gaze wondered over to the area marked “Pop Forrest”, then to the volcanic-looking part that said “Vibe City”. The two weren’t actually that far apart, but he wondered which one of his parents had made the journey. And why? Why did they leave their territory in the first place? Did he have family out there? Someone who could tell him about the half of himself that he had only just discovered? So many questions, and no answers. Grumbling, he swallowed his bite of jerky and slumped forward, resting his head on his arms and looking out at the river ahead.

Three Days Later…

Branch yelped as he was tossed into the air again. When he inevitably hit the raft, all of his air was forced out of his lungs, leaving him immobile. He could hear Hickory yelling and Cooper crying as he lay there, unable to move. His breaths were shallow and borderline useless, just barely giving him enough strength to take in the next breath. Their watercraft jolted again, and Branch felt himself sliding across the bumpy logs. Bits of his fur snagged on the wood, coming off in little tufts. Beyond his paws, he could see the very thing that had caused the problem he and his friends were now facing.  
Roiling, churning, violent rapids.

As he slid ever closer to the raging water, he instinctively tried to stop himself. His claws caught on a log, and his body jolted as he came to a sudden halt. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw a pink blur rushing towards him. Cooper grabbed him and pulled him onto the other side of the raft as Hickory fought to get the boat under control. The Funk Troll gripped a support beam with one paw and held Branch with the other, his whole body shivering. Whether it was because he was drenched in river water, or if it was because he was terrified, Branch couldn’t tell. Now that he wasn’t flat on his back, he was starting to breathe properly again.

“C-c-cooper! Are- are you okay?” Branch asked, his chest heaving as he tried to get his words out.

“I’m alright! You good man?” Cooper asked back, squeezing his eyes shut as the raft rocked again. Branch sunk his back claws into the logs beneath his paws, steadying himself.  
“A bit winded and wet, but otherwise I’m okay.” He said, his ears flattening against his head as another gush of water washed over the raft’s deck. The cold liquid pulled at his paws and ankles, threatening to drag him into the river’s hungry maw.

Hickory’s frightened yell pulled their gazes upwards. The four-legged troll came bounding down to the lower deck, his tail tucked between his legs. 

“This things’ goin’ sideways! We need to jump!” He yelled, stumbling slightly as a crash of frothing foam and water cascaded violently onto his backside.

“Jump?! Are you _crazy?_ ” Branch yelled, gripping onto the logs even harder.

“We don’t have a choice! We can either jump now and have an idea of where we’ll land, or we can wait ‘till we’re thrown into the river! Either way, we aren’t safe here anymore!” Hickory explained, grabbing onto his hat as he prepared to leap. “Come on y’all!”

He jumped off the tilting raft, plunging into the rapids. Cooper waited until he surfaced, before tugging on Branch’s paw. “Come on Branch!” The pink troll urged.

Branch hesitated, memories of being thrown into the river all those months ago flashing across his mind. Suddenly, the raft struck something, and he and Cooper were flung into the water. Branch tried to scream, but water muted his voice. Slamming his mouth shut, he clawed his way to the surface and spat out the liquid, coughing as he struggled to stay afloat. He and Cooper had thick fur, and that made them exceptionally heavy in the water. Cooper was right by his side, his legs kicking wildly.

“Hold onto me!” He cried, extending his neck out so that Branch could grab hold. Before, it had been Branch who had helped Cooper stay above the raging water, but now it seemed like the Funk Troll was returning the favour.

Branch gripped Cooper’s fur with one paw and paddled with the other. Together, the two managed to catch up with Hickory, and the trio made their way to the riverbank. Hickory reached it first, and he helped the other waterlogged trolls get up and out of the river. Branch simply lay limply on the ground, his breathing ragged. Cooper hacked up water, and Hickory leaned against a tree as he tried not to throw up. The Country Troll wrung the water out of his hat, his wet hair dripping water onto his face.

“Well, that could’ve gone better.” He said shakily, folding his legs as he lay down to rest.

“Well, it was better than mine and Branch’s experience, right Branch?” Cooper said, spitting out the last of the water that he had swallowed. Branch merely groaned, his tail twitching in acknowledgement.

The Funk troll looked towards Hickory, his head lowered to the ground in exhaustion. “Hey, where are we anyways?”

Hickory exhaled as he looked up towards the sky, trying to remember where they should be on the map. He was about to answer, but something made the words catch in his throat.

“Bubbles.” He said, confusion evident in his voice.

This time, it was Branch who spoke up, lifting his head to stare incredulously at Hickory. “What?” He muttered, his voice hoarse.

Hickory pointed upwards, his features showing both fear and confusion. Looking up, Cooper and Branch could see that there was, indeed, bubbles in the sky. Huge, clear spheres that were tinged various colours were now floating down towards them. Cooper smiled and reached up to touch one. 

“Wait, Cooper, don’t-” Hickory started, but was cut off when Cooper’s paw made contact with the bubble. Instead of it popping, the bubble slid over Cooper’s paw, then his arm, then his hat. Soon, much to the trio’s dismay, the bubble had covered Cooper’s entire body, and had started to lift him off the ground. 

“Shit!” Hickory and Branch yelled, stumbling to their feet as they tried to grab Cooper before he floated out of their reach. Two more bubbles descended as they tried to free their friends, and before either could react, both had been encased in a bubble. The trio looked fearfully at each other as they rose higher and higher. Branch curled his claws inward, fearful of accidentally popping his bubble while he was so high up.  
As they floated higher, a purple hue began to cover them. Cooper glanced upwards, and he gasped, his eyes going wide. 

“Guys! Look!” He cried, pointing upwards. Branch and Hickory followed his command and both gasped loudly. Neon rings of purple, pink, and yellow flashed brightly, and the shadow of an impossibly large airship created a false night sky.

“Its…” Branch trailed off in awe.

“ _Vibe City._ " Hickory finished with a smile.


	18. A Family Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cooper comes home.

King Quincy considered himself to be a rather chill individual.

Throughout most of his life, he had striven to solve problems with words and a level head, and for the most part, he had succeeded. The citizens of his kingdom had impeccably cool vibes, and fights hardly ever broke out. When there was conflict, his calm nature and his queen’s diplomatic skills quickly put a stop to any harsh words or violent advances. He’d only ever once had to lay a paw on one of his citizens, an extremely ill soldier who had contracted a fatal disease that drove it’s host mad. No words could soothe someone lost to the foaming mouth disease.

His son, Prince Darnell, was not as experienced when it came to calming trolls down, but he was getting there. His songs had a nearly hypnotic affect, and Quincy hoped that he would learn to use that skill for the good of Vibe City. Darnell’s mother, Queen Essence, had been teaching him how to use a variety of instruments lately, stating that the knowledge could only help the young prince. However, all of the royals knew that there was an unspoken secondary reason for her actions.

Queen Essence was trying to take her mind off of the rapidly approaching date that _none_ of them wanted to acknowledge. Even Darnell, who’s birthday was only a few days after _that_ day, found it difficult to become excited. In fact, the entirety of Vibe City’s mood shifted around this time of year, silently becoming more somber than usual, but this shift was not without a good reason.

In less than a week, the royal family would once again morn the loss of their other child, the one that had been stolen away from them only a few days before the egg was due to hatch. The rulers remembered the day with painfully crystal clarity. Quincy _swore_ that he could still feel the birds talons as the brushed through his hair, the creature they belonged to absconding with one of their precious children. He could remember his and his queen’s panicked, frantic screams when the realized what had happened. He remembered Vibe City going into overdrive as they desperately tried to catch up to the elusive avian, only to loose it in a terrible storm. He remembered how his fur had become soaked with tears, both his own and Essence’s. 

They had already picked names out for their unborn cub, Dreamer for a boy, and Destiny for a girl. They had been thrilled to be blessed with two eggs, and the entire kingdom had been abuzz with excitement right along with them. That excitement had still been present when Darnell had hatched, but it had been damped by the loss the King and Queen had suffered. No one would dare say it aloud, but they all knew that the egg hadn’t survived. Despite knowing this deep down as well, Quincy and Essence had scoured the Funk territory for years, searching for any sign of their child, but had given up around the five year mark. The day that they had stopped searching had been one of the worst days of his life.

But despite these hardships, they’d persevered, and had poured all of their love and care into raising their remaining child, Darnell. The cub had grown up knowing that he was supposed to have a sibling, and he too mourned the loss of his twin. He had even composed a slower, more somber melody in their honour.  
So yes, even though life had beaten him down time and time again, King Quincy still considered himself to be someone who was almost always calm and level headed.

That assumption went straight out the window when he saw what the bubbles had brought up.

Their scanners had detected individuals with high levels of stress and confirmed them to be trolls. Quincy had ordered the navigators to bring them up, just in case it was someone who needed help. He hadn’t really been paying attention when the first bubble came into the ship, but his interest skyrocketed when he heard the navigation crew let out a loud, collective gasp. Turning around, he had been confused initially, before his brain registered what he was seeing.

There, lying ungracefully on the floor, was a shivering, sopping wet Funk Troll. But not just any random Funk Troll, one that looked practically **identical** to his son. Bubblegum pink fur intermittently broken by thick stripes of cerise red was pared with cyan legs and blue hair that was stuck to the young troll’s face, accompanied by a drooping green hat that sat naturally upon his head. But what really caught King Quincy’s attention was the troll’s eyes. They were cerulean and shiny and unmistakably _Essence’s_. They matched both his wife and son’s eye colour perfectly.

The young troll, a _cub_ , he had to be with how small he was, shook himself off, before becoming very still as he locked eyes with Quincy. The two remained frozen like that until two more bubbles appeared, dropping off two trolls. Quincy, however, barely even noticed. The room fell completely silent as the trolls tried to comprehend what was now before them.

Branch felt his heartbeat quicken as he looked around the room he was in. These trolls… looked _exactly_ like Cooper, though with obvious colour differences. He noticed that the largest Funk Troll, a purple one with a stunning golden coat and wild hair and who was looking at them in complete shock, had a golden tinsel-like coating on parts of his fur, and he wondered if that was a culture thing or just part of his outfit.  
Said Funk Troll took a shaky step forward, and Branch realized that he was really only looking at Cooper, who looked just as mesmerized. Branch looked towards Hickory, who mouthed his next words instead of breaking the silence.

“That’s King Quincy.” He said silently. Branch made a silent “Ohh” and looked back at the approaching monarch.

“It- it can’t be…” The king said finally, his eyes wide as he broke the tension-filled silence. 

“We- we looked, we all thought you were-” He stuttered, stopping just a few feet from Cooper.

Cooper’s ears perked forward and a look of surprise and confusion came over his face. 

“You- you know me?” He asked quietly. 

The King laughed quietly as he nodded, reaching up to unclip a large, star-shaped earring. He opened it and held it out in a shaky paw as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

“I think I’d recognize my own son.” He said, his voice wobbling.

Branch and Hickory’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as Cooper gently took the earring, staring disbelievingly at the photo that was nestled inside. It portrayed a happy family, a mom, a dad, and a son, one who looked like Cooper’s _mirror image_. 

Cooper held the earring locket, his body shaking and shivering from a combination of cold, joy, and wonder. He looked back up at the much larger Funk Troll, and began to see pieces of himself in the older male, something that he had never been able to do before. His eyes filled with tears and he began to cry. He launched himself at the king, burring his face in his fur as fuzzy, nearly unreachable memories of a familiar voice talking to him while he was still in his egg resurfaced violently.

“DAD!” He sobbed, his hat falling from his head as he hugged the figure that he had used to always dream of meeting.

Strong arms closed around him as the troll holding him began to shake as he too began to cry. The embrace felt natural and good and _so comforting_. It felt as though he belonged here, and he wanted to stay in this hug forever.

“Oh, Gods, I can’t believe your alive!” His dad choked out, rubbing Cooper’s back soothingly. The pink furred troll just squeezed harder, his tail wagging happily.

Suddenly, a door slid open, and Cooper pulled his face out enough to see who had entered the room. An elegant, blue and silver Funk Troll stood awestruck in the doorway, and by her side was the troll that Cooper had seen in the picture, his wide eyes the same ones that Cooper saw every time that he saw his own reflection.

The blue and silver troll snapped out of her trance first, and she let out a emotional cry as she dashed forward. 

“MY BABY!” She sobbed, skidding down on her knees and pulling Cooper into a tight embrace. He instinctively leaned into her warmth, his distant memories supplying him with the knowledge that this was his _mom_. 

“Momma!” He chirped, nuzzling her. She peppered his cheek with kisses, and Cooper hardly noticed the tears that dripped onto his face.

Soon, he heard another set of footsteps, and there was suddenly another presence beside him. Blue eyes met his own, and for the first time in his life, Cooper realized that he had a twin.

“I have a brother?!” He exclaimed, the excitement of the situation almost overwhelming him.

The other pup wiggled excitedly and pounced on him, pulling him into a hug of his own. “You do!” He squeaked, grinning happily.

Hickory laid uncomfortably on the floor, his leg tucked beneath him at an awkward angle, yet he dare not move it in fear of interrupting the adorably heartwarming family reunion that was playing out before him. Looking over at Branch, he was only mildly surprised to see a sad smile on his lips and a wistful look in his eyes. He was clearly very happy for Cooper, but Hickory could also see a desire to experience that happiness as well.

After a few more moments had passed, Cooper looked at them and grinned giddily. 

“Branch! You were right, we could find my parents!” He cheered, his eyes wet with happy tears.

At those words, the other royals became aware of the existence of Hickory and Branch. The king and queen raised their heads and focused their attention on the them. Hickory moved into a bow, and Branch quickly followed.

Hickory heard a smooth, feminine voice chuckle, Queen Essence, he guessed.

“Oh, there’s no need for that. Who are you, my dears?” She asked.

Hickory cleared his throat and pushed himself into a standing position. “I’m Hickory, ma’am, and this here is Branch. We’re Cooper’s friends.” 

The royal family looked at Cooper once again. “Cooper… a far cry from Dreamer, but a wonderful name regardless.” King Quincy said.

“Dreamer?” Branch asked, getting up from his bow.

“That’s what we were going to name our cub if it was a boy. However, Cooper’s egg was stolen away by a hideous bird before we ever got the chance.” Queen Essence explained sadly.

Branch’s eyes widened in realization. “So that’s how his egg ended up in the river…” He mused.

King Quincy’s ears perked up. “You grew up with our son?” He asked the two of them. Hickory jerked his thumb towards Branch.

“He did, I didn’t. Seemed like a right terrible place to grow up.” Hickory sneered. Queen Essence grimaced slightly. 

“Yes, I suppose that a volcano isn’t an ideal home for most, although…” She squinted at Branch, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable. “you don’t really look like a Rock Troll.”

Branch laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Well… that’s because I’m not. At least, not entirely. I’m half Pop, and we grew up in Pop Village.” He explained. King Quincy and Queen Essence looked at each other.

“Well, that explains why we couldn’t find Cooper. No one has seen a Pop Troll in quite some time. You’re very good at hiding.” Queen Essence said. Branch, Hickory and Cooper all winced at that sentence. 

“Yeah… there’s a reason for that, but I think that’s a story for later.” Branch said, looking away. King Quincy nodded. 

“Of course. Now is the time for celebration! We have a royal family reunion party to throw!” The monarch announced. The other Funk Trolls cheered excitedly. Now that the family had been reunited, a few citizens of Vibe City approached Cooper, welcoming him and saying how happy they were to finally get to meet him. Some even came over to chat with Hickory and Branch as the group exited the room, Cooper stopping briefly to grab his hat. As they walked, Hickory smiled at how quickly Cooper fell into place with his twin. The two were in perfect sync, their steps matching as they pranced around, playing together like they should have been doing their whole lives.

The ceremony that was the announcement of the return of Prince Cooper was the biggest event that Branch had ever attended. 

It seemed as though the entire city was radiating pure joy, and everywhere Branch looked he saw smiling faces and bright eyes. Cooper soaked up the attention like a sponge, and he eagerly greeted the city’s residents with great enthusiasm. Beams of multicoloured light swirled around the elevated platform that the group stood on, but one particular beam of golden light focused solely on Cooper as he told his tale.  
He spoke about growing up around Pop Trolls, and how they had been nothing but kind to him. He told the awed audience and his greatly concerned family about his terrifying run in with the Wippertail, and how Branch had saved him. He’d gestured for the gray trolling to come forward after he had said that, and, reluctantly, Branch did, waving shyly. Cooper held out a paw and pointed at Branch as he spoke, a large smile on his face.

“This is Branch! He’s saved my life twice now, and I consider him to be one of my very best friends!” He said, before pointing at Hickory, who was off to the side. “And that’s Hickory! He helped us out when my leg was healing, and he’s one of my best friends too!”

Two beams of light, one blue and one orange, focused on Branch and Hickory respectively. The two boys tensed up at the sudden attention, both looking slightly uncomfortable. Hickory grinned awkwardly at the crowd and waved, his smile becoming just a bit more genuine when they cheered and applauded loudly at his action. Branch shrunk down into his ruff a bit, but also waved, his tail twisting nervously around his stiff legs. The crowd cheered almost twice as loud, and Branch felt himself blush under his fur. He wasn’t used to so many eyes being on him, and he began to feel very nervous.

Thankfully, his savior came up beside him, and Branch glanced up as King Quincy winked at him, before stepping forward, drawing the crowd’s attention towards himself. As he announced that they would be holding a celebratory concert, Branch back peddled out of the light and out of everyone’s view. He slunk down to the floor and took a moment to breathe. Suddenly, the platform was moving, gliding effortlessly through the air. He looked fearfully to Queen Essence, who, upon seeing his frightened face, quickly stepped over to him.

“It’s alright sweetheart, we’re just going to the Concert Hall. We’ll be there in a minute.” She said sweetly. Both she and Prince Darnell sat with Branch until the platform stopped moving and settled back down into the ground. Branch breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got off the platform, jogging over to where Hickory was. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he would stick to the ground.

Cooper practically danced around the enormous stage, oohing and awing at the multitude of instruments. Branch recognized a few, like drums and keyboards, but the rest were foreign to him. He ran a paw over the canvas-like surface of one of the bigger drums, marveling at the size of the percussion instrument.

“Do you play?” A voice asked from behind him. If it hadn’t been for the chill tone of voice and the question itself, Branch would have assumed that it was Cooper.

Turning his head, Branch was not surprised to see Prince Darnell looking at him curiously. Branch shook his head and stepped away from the drum.

“No. I haven’t played an instrument since…” He brought a paw up to his chin and thought for a moment. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve _ever_ played an instrument in my entire life.” 

The young prince’s eyes widened. “Why not? Music is great!” He said, gesturing to the area around them. “Music is what practically keeps Vibe City going, after all!”

Branch rubbed the back of his neck, debating whether or not he should tell Prince Darnell exactly _why_ he didn’t like music that much. Finally, he decided that if Cooper could handle it, so could Darnell.

“You see my fur?” He asked, extending an arm. “Music… played a big role in making it like this. Not many trolls remember nowadays, but I used to have colour like everyone else.” He explained. Not too far away, King Quincy’s ears perked up a bit as he saw Darnell tilt his head in confusion.

“I don’t understand, how could music cause something like **that**?” He asked, sounding utterly lost. Branch sighed.

“It’s a long story, and one far too scary for you. But ever since I lost my colour, I just haven’t been able to make, or really even enjoy, music. Loud music especially really scares me.” He said, shuddering slightly.  
The prince still looked very confused, but his father came up to them and nudged his son. 

“Go on and help your brother choose an instrument, maybe one that he might already know.” He said softly, jerking his head towards Cooper, who was looking at a keyboard with Hickory. The poor Country Troll was completely out of his musical element here, and it showed on his face.

Darnell looked like he wanted to argue, but he chose to listen to his father instead. Once he was out of earshot, the king put a comforting paw on Branch’s shoulder.

“Hey, if you want to sit this concert out, I can take you to a guest room in our home. These concerts can get pretty loud when it’s for a big celebration, and the last thing I want to do is make the troll who has saved my son’s life multiple times feel unwelcome in my kingdom.” He offered kindly.

Branch considered the offer, before looking towards Cooper. 

“This seems like it’s going to be really important to Cooper, and I don’t want to hurt his feelings by not being here, but…” Branch trailed off, feeling conflicted. 

“I greatly appreciated you taking Cooper’s feelings into account, but I’m sure my son would much rather prefer that one of his “very best friends” didn’t feel overwhelmed or afraid, even if that means that you wont be here. It’s okay to not do something that might hurt you.” King Quincy said reassuringly. Branch hesitated, the nodded.

“Yeah, okay. A quiet place sounds great right about now.” He admitted sheepishly. The king chuckled and rose up to his full height, looking over to where Queen Essence was. The matriarch had a large, golden-ish instrument wrapped around her, a large, circular opening at the end of its metal coil.

“Honey, I’m going to show Branch to his room. He doesn’t vibe with loud music, and I don’t want him to be uncomfortable.” He called, leading Branch off the stage and towards a squiggly, semi-transparent structure.

Queen Essence nodded in understanding, and then left to go help Cooper find an instrument. As King Quincy led him up to the odd structure, Branch realized that it was an elevator. Oh, thank goodness. He wasn’t sure he could handle another platform ride so soon. The king tapped a button on the outside of the elevator shaft, and soon, the elevator itself arrived. It was a purple and pink platform that was shaped like a round flower. Stepping inside, the two began to ascend. For a moment, it was silent. Then, King Quincy spoke.

“Branch, if you don’t mind me asking, what is the story behind your fear of music? I’ve never heard of such a thing before.” The monarch inquired. Branch looked out at the bustling city as he formed a response.  
“I’ve been told that it’s a terrible, potentially traumatizing tale. Are you sure you want to hear it?” He asked slowly.

The king nodded after a moment of contemplation, and Branch sighed. 

“Of course you do. Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He took in a deep breath. “Queen Essence mentioned that Pop Trolls are hard to find, and there’s a reason why…”

As they rode the elevator, Branch launched into the story of the Pop Troll tribe’s miserable existence in the Troll Tree. He told him about how his singing had gotten his Grandmother, his last remaining family member, killed. He described their daring escape, pointing out the wound on his leg. Finally, he spoke about his ever increasing anxiety over his tribe’s unwillingness to throw quieter celebrations, and how he was afraid that a Bergen would someday find them.

By the time he had finished, they had reached the room. King Quincy’s eyes were wide with horror, and he hadn’t spoken since Branch had begun his tale. Slowly, he took in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

“By the Ancestors… I- I knew that the Pop Tribe had fallen into a state of disarray, but I had no idea it was to this extent.” He whispered hoarsely. “To _live_ like that, to _survive_ that, only to have everyone pretend that everything is sunshine and rainbows? That is madness in its purest form.” He lowered his great head and shook it sadly. He looked at Branch with a mix of admiration and pity.

“I had hoped that the royal Pop family would have learned from the past, atone for the wrongs that had been committed, but it seems like they have only gotten worse.” He rubbed his forehead with a paw and groaned. “It _has_ to be Sparklefleck’s power at play, but why? Why do that to your own people?” 

Branch stared at King Quincy, dumbstruck. “What are you talking about? What wrongs? And what do you mean Sparklefleck’s “power”?” He asked, his ears folding back slightly. 

The royal looked at him in shock. “What? Don’t you know your Tribe’s history?” He questioned, now looking as confused as Branch felt. The gray trolling threw his paws up in the air in frustration.

“I thought I did! I’ve read the history scrapbooks over and over again, and there’s nothing in there about power or wrongs!” He said, dropping his paws back down to his sides.

King Quincy’s gaze became slightly sad, and Branch felt dumb for not knowing why. “Scrapbooks are filled with history cut out of context and pasted into a false timeline that fits a certain narrative and nothing else. I’m sorry Branch, but it seems as though your Tribe has failed you, and everyone else who is being taught to accept that false truth.” He sighed, pushing the door open. “Here, rest now, and I’ll show you the _true_ history of the Pop Trolls after dinner.”

Branch felt slightly numb as he nodded silently and entered the room. Once he heard the door close, he made his way over to a plush, circular bed that was against the wall on the other side of the room. He curled up on it and shoved his face into the bed’s pillows, feeling stinging tears begin to well up in his eyes. Grabbing another pillow, he sandwiched his head in between the two plush rectangles and _screamed_. The pillows muffled it, thankfully, and Branch used that fact to vent his feelings. 

Just how much of his life, his entire tribe’s history, was based on a _lie_?


End file.
